I See The Moon
by MeganKoumori
Summary: The thing that makes Woody special is he'll never give up on you, ever. And five years later, he hasn't given up on her...
1. Chapter 1

1: 2003

* * *

The bedroom was dark. From downstairs, Woody could hear Andy's familiar laughter, riotous and loud as the family watched a movie. It had used to be that he, and Buzz too, had joined Andy for every Family Movie Night, but those times were becoming more and more infrequent. In fact, he and Buzz had been left up in the bedroom during the past three movies.

Woody frowned. He wondered if being left behind like this was beginning to bother Buzz as well. There was no way his observant Ranger friend couldn't have noticed that trips and time with Andy were starting to, slowly but surely, peter off. They would have to have a talk about it…

 _But not tonight,_ Woody thought. _Not in front of the Guys._ Tonight, he would make the most of things. Besides, he knew what movie Andy had been dying to rent and it wasn't one he especially wanted to see. He didn't even like that screaming SNL goober that all the kids were into. _Andy I love ya, but your taste in actors…_

Andy's toys had gathered themselves on top of the desk, where the outside light poured in from the window. As the Cowboy climbed from chair to surface, he could hear them, chattering and laughing among themselves.

Potato Head and Hamm were huddled off in the corner, playing a game of "Connect Four" while Rex and the Missus watched. Slink was lying down with his eyes closed, apparently already asleep.

In front of the window, Jessie sat Indian style, her hat thrown off to the side as her hair fell loose around her shoulders. "You know you're the only one I'd ever let do this."

"Don't you ever get tired of the same old thing?"

"Nope!" Jessie answered cheerfully.

Little Bo Peep smiled as she took Jessie's yarn hair in her hands. With a plastic paddle brush, she gathered the strands together from the front and sides. Turning she spoke to the Toy behind her. "Buzz, can I get your opinion?"

Buzz Lightyear had been sitting on the windowsill but at the sound of his name he startled. "M-me?"

Bo held out a few clips for him to see. "What kind of barrette should I use? Teal ribbon, yellow birds, pink poodle…"

"Don't put no pink poodle in my hair!"

Buzz turned slightly pink. With a smile he said, "I, uh, I like the yellow birds. They match her top."

"Good choice." Deftly, Bo snapped the barrette in place. Fluffing Jessie's hair, she turned the Cowgirl so Buzz could see. "There, all done. Doesn't she look beautiful, Buzz?"

Buzz flushed crimson. Looking away, he didn't answer but began to chuckle awkwardly.

"That's a yes."

Jessie giggled. "I know." Looking at each other, the two women broke down into peals of laughter.

Woody had been observing all of this from a distance, but hearing Bo's laughter suddenly filled him with warmth. She was standing directly in front of the window, her porcelain luminous with blue moonlight.

Before he even knew it, the Sheriff was standing in front of her. He took his hat off and bowed. Bo smiled and offered him her hand.

Straightening up, he put his hat back on and said, in a voice not like his own, "Miss Bo, it's a beautiful night and you're going to enjoy it with me!" He bent down and scooped her into his arms, eliciting a cry of surprise from her. As he carried her away, his fellow toys stared in shock at Woody's uncharacteristically cheeky behavior.

"What's gotten into him?" Hamm asked.

"That's not how that scene goes!" Jessie yelled after them.

"Has he been sniffin' the scented markers?" said Potato Head.

"Quiet all of you!" squealed Mrs. Potato Head. "Let the two of them have a moment!"

* * *

At the opposite side of the desk, Woody cradled Bo tightly in his arms and planted kisses all over her face and neck. "Woody!" she cried in delight. "What's gotten into you? You're not usually this bold!"

"Well, you're not usually this beautiful…" Woody stopped dead. "Aw, jeez! That's not what I meant! What I meant was, you look beautiful, more so than…I mean, you're always beautiful but tonight…"

" _Shhh,"_ she placed a finger to his lips. "I know what you mean. It's the moon isn't it?" She looked down at her arms. "It does something to my porcelain and makes me turn blue."

" _Mmm,"_ Woody nodded dreamily, holding her tighter. "Just like our first night together."

"Ah, so _that_ was it. That's why you finally decided to kiss me."

"Here's another one." Gently this time, he tilted her chin up and pressed his lips to hers.

Letting go, Woody sighed and placed his head on her bonnet. "My blue eyed girl…" he murmured. Looking down, he could see Bo was resting her head on his shoulder, but she was staring off into the distance. Her eyes seemed to be glazed over. "What's wrong?"

Whatever trance she was in broke. "What?"

He frowned with concern. "Sweetie, are you okay?"

She smiled, but it seemed almost melancholy. "I'm fine," she said, brushing his cheek. "Do me a favor, Cowboy?"

"What's that?"

"Let's…make the most of tonight, okay?"

Almost the exact same thought he had had earlier. Reluctantly, Woody placed her back on the desk. "Is there something the matter?"

She shook her head. "Not when I'm with you." Grasping his hands, she gave them a squeeze. "Now come on, Sugar. I think we've left our friends long enough…"

Woody would have rather spent more time alone with her but he allowed her to lead him back to the group anyway. There would be plenty of time later for just the two of them.


	2. Chapter 2

2: Five Years Later

* * *

Woody sighed as he made his way across Bonnie's bedroom to the large, antique dollhouse. He hadn't planned on doing this. In fact, the only thing he had planned on this evening was finding a nice quiet spot and curling up with the Sunday crossword puzzle. He only got to do the crossword once a week now, since the Andersons only paid for the Sunday edition of the Tri-County Herald. But if there was one thing that hadn't changed, it was Jessie.

" _You!"_ she had shouted at him first thing without so much as a good morning. "You're invited to Buzz and my place this evenin'! Six PM sharp!" Then she had darted off.

Woody stopped in front of the door. It was a large, three story house painted white with an emerald green roof. The doorway met the top of his head and as he opened it, he had to duck to get inside.

Suddenly he found himself being shoved out. "What's the matter with you?" Jessie yelled as she pushed him. "Don't you know how to knock?"

" _You_ invited me!"

She jammed her fists on her hips. "You leave your manners in your other hat? Ya just don't walk into somebody's house without consent! Now try again!" She slammed the door in his face.

Woody sighed. Raising his knuckles, he rapped on the brown wood…

The door flew open. "Woody!" Jessie cried with delight. "Good to see you! Well don't just stand there! Come on in!" Grabbing him by the vest, she yanked him inside, cracking his head on the top of the door frame as she did.

"Ow!"

" _Oh Sweetie!"_ Jessie shouted as she dragged Woody through the tiny hall and into a kitchen. _"Look whose come a-callin'!"_

Inside, Woody could see Buzz at the table, his bulky frame scrunched uncomfortably into a chair. Jessie pushed Woody into a seat next to him. "You boys catch up and I'll put the coffee on!" Leaning over Buzz, she giggled with delight. "We finally get to use our third cup!"

As she scurried around the fake kitchenette, grabbing plastic mugs, Woody observed, "I never thought I'd see the day where Jessie went domestic."

"Me either, but she's having fun. We moved the couch today, five times."

" _Five?"_

"Well, it's a doll's couch. I can lift it with one hand." Jessie rejoined them, holding three empty coffee cups.

"How do you take your coffee?"

Woody frowned. "There's no coffee in there."

"What kind of toy are you? Use your imagination!" Jessie pointed a mug at Woody. "Now, how do you take your coffee?"

Woody sighed and threw his hands up. "Fine. Cream and sugar."

" _Ooh, real_ original." Jessie slid the coffee cup across the table and Woody caught it.

"Well, how do you take yours?"

"Pipin' hot with a shot of whiskey."

Buzz grinned at the surprise on Woody's face. "That's my girl."

Jessie circled around behind them. "You like yours black with two sugars, right Buzz?"

"Ma'am, yes Ma'am!" Jessie set the cup in front of him and placed a kiss on the top of his head. As they shared a loving gaze, Woody looked away quickly. He was happy that his best friend and his sister were together, but he really didn't want to see them going all moony eyed.

Jessie finally took her chair at the other end of the table. "Ain't this the best doll house you've ever seen? Grandpa Geri really did a great job overhaulin' it!"

Woody nodded in agreement. "Bonnie's Mom said they found it with the rest of his personal effects. They think he was planning on giving it to Bonnie after he was done completely refurbishing it."

"Well she got it, even if he didn't get to give it to her personally."

Jessie raised her cup. "To Grandpa Geri?"

The other two clinked their plastic mugs against hers. _"To Grandpa Geri."_

There was quiet for a moment, then Jessie put down her cup. "Okay, enough with the sadness! After yer done with yer coffee, it's time for the Grand Tour!"

"Grand Tour?"

"That's right! You've seen the kitchen slash dinin' area, but you gotta see the livin' room, and the attic, and the bathroom, and the bedroom…"

Woody grimaced. "I would rather _not_ see your bedroom."

Buzz held up a finger. "I kind of agree with Woody…"

"Oh all right, Nancy Pants. There's lots of other areas you can see." Jessie sat back. "We also got a broom closet and a garage and a nursery."

"A nursery?"

"Well, it's empty obviously. Though," she smiled shrewdly. "Not for lack of tryin'…"

Buzz spit out his imaginary coffee. Woody buried his face in his hands. _"Oh Jessie…"_

"Come on, Woody!" Jessie leaned over and grabbed his arm. "I know you're protective, but you just got face the facts." She motioned with her head. "Buzz ain't an innocent no more."

Buzz blushed and grinned, embarrassed. _"Ah heh…"_

Scowling, Woody began to push his seat out. "Perhaps I should just go…"

"Simmer down, Skinny Britches!" Jessie said. "Jeez, you'd think you were as pure as the Last Unicorn the way you get all squeamish."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Jessie smiled slyly. "Back at Andy's, you weren't exactly chaste yerself, were ya?"

Woody's face burned bright red. "I don't wanna talk about this!"

"Oh come on! How many nights did you spend in the guest room? Not comin' back until what, like six in the mornin'?"

Woody was quiet. He looked down into his empty mug. "I miss her." The other two looked at him. "I miss her laugh, and her smile, and her eyes…" He placed a hand on the back of his neck. "I even miss the way she used to yank me around with her crook."

Jessie stared at an invisible spot on the wall. "I miss the way she always wanted to play with my hair. I miss our girl talks."

"I miss how kind she was," said Buzz. "She always went out of her way to make everyone feel good…" He paused. "Except Potato Head."

In spite of himself, Woody smiled. "No love lost between those two."

Jessie stood. Circling behind him, she wrapped her arms around his torso. "I know she misses you too."

"Thanks, Jess."

Reaching over, she yanked Buzz out of his seat. "Get over here, Spaceman." Buzz sighed, and with a reluctant smile, joined in the hug.

 _I have the best friends a fellah could ask for,_ Woody thought as they embraced him. _I just wish I didn't have this empty space inside…_


	3. Chapter 3

3:

* * *

 _The field Woody was standing in seemed endless. All around him, sheep bounced and rolled in the waving, pink grass like helium balloons._ _She was standing in the distance with her back to him. "Bo!"_

 _She didn't turn as he ran to her._ " _Bo…" By the time the Cowboy reached her, he was out of breath. Still, he gulped air and forced himself to speak. "Bo…I love you." She didn't move. "Bo?"_

 _Finally, she turned and gave him a sad smile. "Woody, it's too late…" Suddenly Jessie appeared. With a naughty grin she slung an arm around Bo._

" _That's right, Woody! She's_ my _girlfriend now!"_

* * *

Woody bolted up in bed gasping. He groaned. Just a dream. Lying back down on the pillow next to Bonnie, he wiped his forehead.

"Are you okay?" He turned his head to left. Trixie was looking at him with concern. "Are you okay?" she repeated.

"I'm fine, Trixie. I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"Nah, I'm waiting for two AM. Rex and I got an online playdate set up with Velocistar and LittleFoot88."

Woody inched himself up slightly so he could see the clock. It was one forty-five.

"You were talking in your sleep," Trixie continued. "Was it a nightmare?"

"Not really…" He paused. "Maybe at the end."

Trixie sat down on her haunches and gave him a friendly smile. "I know you're not much of a gamer," she said. "But whaddya say you join us for a friendly game of smashing trolls and beating the daylights outta orcs? Come on, it'll be fun!"

Woody stared at the dark ceiling. He knew that he really should just try to get back to sleep. He wanted to be at his best for playtime tomorrow. But what if he had another dream? What if this one was worse? This time Bo could end up married to Potato Head!

"I'll just watch."

Trixie clapped him on the shoulder with her front right foot. "That's the spirit!"

* * *

Woody watched as Rex and Trixie huddled together in front of the brightly lit computer screen. From his vantage point, he had made a nest out of a few doll blankets so he could be comfortable.

Rex wiggled impatiently. "Where are they? Shouldn't they be online by now?"

"Come on Rex, you know LittleFoot88 is always late. He probably fell asleep again. He'll show."

"But Velocistar isn't on either!"

Trixie frowned. Positioning herself over the keyboard, she began to type with her feet. "What are you doing?"

"Checking my email," she answered. "Look, there's a message from Velocistar."

"Read it! Read it!" Rex shrieked.

"' _Trixie and Rex, can't play tonight. Rodney has the flu. Gotta stay with him. Have fun and smash some ugly trolls for me! Velocistar'"_ She sat back.

"Well, now what?" asked Woody. "Can't you just play without him?"

"Well, sure. There are tons of other players."

"Strangers! _Human_ strangers!" said Rex. "What if they ask questions about human things like algebra and service contracts? How would we answer? They'd figure out we're toys! The very fabric of toy-human relations would be destroyed! It would be chaos!"

Trixie tilted her head. "You know what we _could_ do?" Once again, she launched herself over the keyboard and began to click away. "Let's look at Bonnie's stuff!"

Woody straightened up. "What?"

"Bonnie's got a folder full of webpages that she's saved! Let's look at them until LittleFoot gets on!"

" _If_ he gets on," Rex whimpered.

Trixie scrolled through the folder. "Hmm, _'Girl Games Magic'_ …' _Jellybean Flipflop'_ …Ooh, sounds yummy _…_ "

Woody leaned back in his blanket nest. He tipped his hat over his face and closed his eyes.

"' _Doctor Marcella's Doll Hospital.'_ Wow, she's got a bunch of these videos saved!" Trixie said.

"Why?"

"Silly, it's probably because Bonnie wants to go into toy repair like Grandpa Geri! Look Rex, _'Eye replacement for a vintage Winnie doll…'_ " Rex yelped. "Maybe we'll start with something less gory. Let's see, stain removal, limb repair, voice box restoration, porcelain doll cleaning…"

Woody startled so violently that his hat nearly fell off. "What? What was that last one?"

"Porcelain doll cleaning…" Woody was already at the keyboard. He pushed Trixie out of the way. "Hey!"

"Woody, what are you doing?" Rex questioned as the Cowboy leaned over and clicked on the video link. Immediately an older woman with wavy long grey hair held back by a purple headband and round purple glasses appeared on the screen.

" _Welcome Friends. I'm Doctor Marcella and today on the Doll Hospital, I'll be teaching you how to clean your delicate porcelain, china, and glass dolls. Our first patient is a beautiful little lady who has spent some time in storage, and was eventually bought at a yard sale. As a result, she's quite dirty…"_

Woody's heart seized.

Doctor Marcella held up the doll for the camera. _"Say hello to Baby Buttons!"_ Woody felt his hopes dash and plummet all the way down to his boots. The filthy doll on screen was a chubby toddler with dimpled cheeks.

He sat back, feeling quite stupid. Of course it wasn't her. What would've been the odds of it being her anyway? Probably a billion to one. Maybe even a trillion.

"Wow, she's really good," said Trixie as Doctor Marcella used a chemical sponge to wipe away grime from the doll's surface.

Woody just sighed as the video began to wrap up. _"…And there you have it! Baby Buttons is clean as a button again!"_

"I've never heard the phrase 'clean as a button' before," said Rex.

Onscreen, Doctor Marcella held the doll up for the camera. _"Don't forget to visit our website, linked below! We're located in Berkeley, California for all your doll and toy repair needs!"_

"That was fun!" Trixie said as the video cut to a still photo. "Let's watch another one!"

"No eye surgery please…"

"Whaddya say, Woody?" Trixie turned to him. "Woody? Are you okay?"

The Cowboy was staring at Doctor Marcella's final picture. In it, she stood in front of a wall, filled with hundreds of dolls, toys, and bears on shelves. The bright white light from the computer burned into the Cowboy's face as his eyes fixated on a spot right behind Doctor Marcella's hip. From behind her peeked out the rounded side of a white skirt. A white hoop skirt with pink polka dots and a lace ruffle bottom.

" _Bo."_


	4. Chapter 4

4:

* * *

It was a quarter to dawn. On the second floor of Bonnie's doll house, Jessie and Buzz were snuggled together in their four post bed. Jessie's boots peeked out from under the quilt blanket and Buzz's frame stuck out from the side. Still, they dozed peacefully…

Until Woody crashed through the door. _"Guys, wake up!"_

Both dolls jumped as though they had been shot. Buzz launched himself top of Jessie. _"Look out!"_

"Ow! Buzz ya big lug!" she cried, smacking his chest plate from underneath. "Get off!"

"Sorry," he apologized sheepishly. He rolled back into his spot.

"Guys, I need to talk to you! I found…"

"Woody?" Buzz looked up at him in confusion. "What time is it?"

"It's four forty something, but that's not important! I…"

Buzz groaned and fell back. _"Four?"_

Jessie had her face buried in her pillow. "Hurt him, Honey. Karate chop his face in."

"Will you two just listen?" Woody cried. _"I found Bo!"_

In their bed, his two friends stopped groaning. They stared at him blankly. "Uh…what?"

* * *

Once again in the doll house kitchen, Woody sat at the table with Buzz. Jessie handed a cup to the Ranger. "Here, I made it extra strong for ya." She glared at Woody. "You woke us up. You don't get any coffee."

Buzz gave her a look. "Now Jessie…"

" _Pfft,_ all right." She dropped a cup in front of Woody. "You get tea." She then added under her breath, "Extra weak."

Woody pushed the empty cup aside. "Look, I know I sound nuts but I'm telling you it's her! Look!" Reaching under his hat, he pulled out a folded piece of paper. "I took this screen shot from the video and printed it out! Do you see?"

Buzz unfolded it and he and Jessie bent over to look. "Woody, this is a middle aged woman…"

"No, no, you Space Case! Not Doctor Marcella!"

"Doctor?"

Woody pointed to the piece of skirt sticking out from behind her. "There! Now do you get it?"

Jessie sat back looking stunned. "Son of a buildin' block…"

"Exactly."

Buzz looked shocked for a moment. Then his thick brows furrowed. "Wait…Woody, how do you know it's the same Bo? There must be other Little Bo Peep dolls, maybe even thousands. This could be…"

"Four hundred." The other two looked surprised at the Cowboy's quick answer. "She was limited edition one hundred and thirty-four out of four hundred." He sat back and added under his breath, "Though I thought she was one in a million."

Jessie clasped her hands to her heart. _"Awww!"_ she cried loudly, making Woody jump.

Buzz cleared his throat. "Well, one of four hundred certainly does reduce the odds."

Woody flipped over the printed page to reveal an address scrawled in pen. "I went to Doctor Marcella's website. I couldn't find any more pictures of her, but I did get the address. It's in Berkeley. If I leave now, I can…"

"Whoa, whoa!" Buzz interrupted. "Slow down! You're not thinking this through!"

"Yes I am!"

"Listen to me! This isn't a few blocks away! Berkeley is the next town!"

Woody glared at him. "I don't care."

"And what if…" At this the Ranger faltered. "What if it isn't the Bo Peep we know? What if this Bo is limited edition one hundred and thirty-five?"

"I'll take my chances."

"But what if…"

Woody brought his hands down on the table. _"Look Buzz!_ I need to do this! I can't go through the next hundred years of my life knowing I could've gotten her back and did nothing!" His energy began to drain, and he slumped back. "I…I can't give up on her, Guys. I can't lose her again."

Jessie shot Buzz a look. "Aw, Buzz, look at him! He still loves her!" She jumped up and circled around behind Woody. She grabbed his cheeks and chin in her little hand and squeezed. "How can ya say no to a face like this?"

"Jessie…"

" _Please Buzz!"_ Jessie began to shake Woody's face up and down. " _I'm yer Bestest Buddy and I need to find my true love!"_

Woody finally shook loose. "Quit it! I'm not a ventriloquist dummy!"

Buzz sighed. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "All right, we'll…"

"All I'm asking is that you guys hold down the fort while I'm gone."

Jessie had returned to her chair. "What? What do you mean?"

"I'm not asking you to come with me. This is my decision, and it wouldn't be fair to drag you along. Besides, someone's gotta keep things together."

"So let it be Dolly!" Buzz said. "You can't possibility make it from Emeryville to Berkeley all by yourself!"

Jessie grasped her coffee cup. _"It's a dangerous world out there for a toy…"_ she muttered darkly into the empty mug. Both males looked at her in surprise.

Shaking it off, Buzz turned back to Woody. "There's no way you can make this trip alone…" he paused. "And…there's no way I can let you. I'm going with you."

"But…"

Jessie interrupted. "And there's no way I'm letting you take Buzz anywhere without me! _I'm_ goin' with you!"

"But…" Woody tried again. Jessie reached across the table and put her hand in the center. Buzz placed his large white hand on top of hers. They looked at Woody expectantly.

With a heavy sigh, he placed his hand on top of Buzz's. "Okay."

" _Adventure is out there!"_

Buzz looked at the Cowboy as the circle broke. "One thing. Just how do you plan on getting to Berkeley?"

Woody shrugged haplessly. "I just planned on walking."

Jessie jumped out of her chair, nearly knocking it over. " _Eerrrrnnntttt!_ Negatory!" she shouted. "We're drivin'!"

Woody shot her a look. "And I suppose you're just going to make a Pizza Planet Truck appear out of thin air?"

* * *

A minute later, Woody found himself staring at a teal colored vintage model car. Jessie knocked him on the shoulder. "Told ya we have a garage, Sassyfras!" she said. "What'd you think was in there, Christmas decorations?" Running to the car, she jumped in the open top. _"Road trip!"_

Woody circled to the driver's side and got in. "Jessie, please! Will you try to take this seriously?"

"I _am_ taking this seriously!" Reaching over, she began to fiddle with the tiny radio. Music began to blast.

" _THEY SEE ME ROLLIN'…THEY HATIN'…PATROLLING THEY TRYIN' TO CATCH ME RIDIN' DIRTY…"_

Jessie pulled up her knees and began to bob her head to the music like a bird.

" _TRYIN' TO CATCH ME RIDIN' DIRTY… TRYIN' TO CATCH ME RIDIN' DIRTY… TRYIN' TO…"_

Woody clicked the radio off. Putting his boot on the gas, he zoomed out of the doll house garage.


	5. Chapter 5

5:

* * *

Buzz was standing to the side of the garage as Woody drove the toy car out and parked. Bonnie's other toys were beginning to gather.

It didn't surprise Woody at all that Potato Head was the first to speak. "You ain't serious, are you? You three ain't really gonna take off like college kids on Spring Break and just ditch the rest of us?"

Woody opened up his door and stepped out. "How'd you guys find out so fast?"

"How do you think?" Buttercup gestured with his head to Trixie and Rex. "Barney and Baby Bop over here came crashing into the toy chest at who-knows-what-time babbling about you running off to find some girl."

Woody shot him a cold look. "She's _not_ just some girl," he said tersely.

Mr. Pricklepants stepped forward out of the group. "So it is has come to this," he intoned. "You intend to partake in the epic quest to be reunited with your one true love, the Penelope to your Odysseus…"

Trixie giggled. "Like Stuart Little and Margalo."

Dolly eyed her cynically. "Stuart Little never found Margalo."

"You don't know that!"

"Guys!" Woody interrupted. In her bed, Bonnie moaned. The toys froze. With a breathy sigh, the little girl rolled over and continued to sleep.

Woody let out his breath. Speaking in a hushed voice, he said, "I know this is sudden. But I've waited five years for this day. I can't wait anymore!" Bullseye trotted out of the crowd and Woody felt his heart sink. "Bullseye…"

Bullseye looked expectantly toward the toy car then back at Woody. "Bullseye, I…you can't, Boy." The Horse looked confused. His lower lip began to quiver.

Woody brushed his mane back. Holding his face up, he spoke gently. "It's not that I don't want you to come, Bullseye, but it's a small car with only four seats…and we need to save one for Bo." At the sound of Bo's name, Bullseye's ears perked up. "You want to see Bo again, Boy? We're bringing her back!" In spite of his obvious disappointment, Bullseye smiled and gave Woody's cheek a slurpy lick. "See, that's a good Boy!" The Sheriff looked at his friends. "Well guys…I guess this is it."

"You're really leaving then?" said Dolly.

Buzz walked up and stood by him. "Just for a few days. We'll be back!"

Potato Head pushed his way forward. "You're out of your mind! You can't just take a road trip to the next town like some…some _human!"_

Slinky was next to him and he wouldn't look Woody in the eye. "I gotta agree with Potato Head. Y'all got responsibilities here, Woody. What about Bonnie?"

Woody hesitated. "Bonnie…Bonnie will be fine. We won't be gone that long."

Potato Head threw his arms up in the air in exasperation. "Aw, you're nuts! All of you! We finally got a good thing going here and you wanna take off! Well don't expect a big 'Welcome Home' party when you get back!"

" _If_ they get back you mean," Hamm added. "Berkeley is about 3.3 miles away on foot."

Woody was about to pop off a snappy retort when a shrill voice cut him off. _"Shame!"_ Mrs. Potato Head waddled to the front of the group. She gave her husband a sharp tweak on his ear. "Shame on all of you!"

"Ow!"

"After all Woody has done for us, risking his life to get us out of Sunnyside and finding us a new home with Bonnie!"

"But…" Mr. Potato Head started to protest.

Mrs. Potato Head cut him off. "Don't you understand? We owe our happiness to Woody! Now it's his turn to find his own happiness!" Turning back to the much taller Cowboy, she reached up and took his hand in her gloved one. With a motherly smile, she gave it a pat. "Go. Bring back that sweet girl of yours. We'll take care of Bonnie." To the crowd behind her she added, "Won't we?"

The group was quiet for a moment as the toys looked at each other. "A 'course we will," Slinky finally said. "We always do!"

Trixie almost screamed in excitement. "When you get back we'll have a big wedding!"

" _Shhh!"_ Dolly hissed at her. _"Not so loud!"_

Potato Head had crossed his arms. "Well I still think you're crazy,"

Mrs. Potato Head glared. Woody however just looked at him blandly. His relationship with Potato Head had always been rocky but over the years he had learned to just brush off most of the Spud's snark. "I wouldn't expect any less from you," he said.

Potato Head sighed. "And…I guess, I wouldn't expect any less from you." A small smile played on his face. "Tell the Princess I said hi, would ya?"

In the car, Jessie whooped. "You can tell her yourself, _'cause we're bringin' her home!"_

* * *

The sun was rising, streaking the outside world orange and gold with early morning light. Woody sat at the wheel of the toy car. Jessie sat beside him in the passenger's seat and Buzz behind her in the back, holding the map to Berkeley. The rest of Bonnie's toys stood on the porch as they watched the car drive down the sidewalk, waving and calling their goodbyes and good lucks.

"It's so romantic…" Mrs. Potato Head sniffled. She had brought a pink tissue with her and she dabbed her eyes. "After all this time, he's still in love with her."

Hamm was beside her. "If they don't come back, I call the doll house."


	6. Chapter 6

_Special thanks to my sister, PotatoGod, who helped unlock a crucial part of this chapter._

* * *

6:

* * *

It was mid-August. As the three toys drove by a long brown wooden fence, an occasional leaf would drop off from the trees above. A warm breeze was blowing. At the wheel, Woody's mind was full. _I'm finally going to see her again…_

"Uh, Woody…"

 _I'm finally going to get to hold her and touch her and…_

"Woody!"

 _I'll finally be able to look into those beautiful big blue eyes and say…_

"Hey Doofus, you're drifting!"

Woody snapped out of his daydream as Jessie leaned across and grabbed the wheel. "What the…"

"Save it for when we get there, Valentino!" she said. "Or let one of us drive!"

Woody grasped the steering wheel tightly, squaring his shoulders. "I'm-I'm fine!"

Jessie smirked. _"Sure."_

Buzz leaned forward. "Woody, have you ever driven before?"

"What are you talking about? I drove RC!" Woody snapped. "You were _there!"_

"RC don't count," said Jessie. "He was a remote control car." She grinned. "Hey, is that why you fellas called him 'RC'?"

Woody shot her a look. Then he sighed irritably. "Fine, I've never driven a car with, you know, pedals and a steering wheel. But it doesn't matter! It's not that hard!"

"Are you sure?"

"Gas is go! Brake is stop! _I'm fine, Buzz!"_

"Actually, you are a little close to the curb. Not to mention, your driving is a little jerky…"

"Did you check your mirrors before we left?" Jessie demanded. "Why aren't you wearing a seat belt?"

"There are no seat belts. You're not wearing one either."

Jessie looked down in surprise, then grinned. Sitting back she said, "All right, just make sure you don't shoot any squirrels or nothin'."

" _What?"_

"Well, in California it's illegal to shoot game while drivin'…"

" _Look out!"_ Buzz shouted. Something hit the back of the car, sending it into a flip. The three toys were jettisoned out of their seats and sent flying through the air.

Woody landed on the sidewalk and skidded. For a moment, he couldn't tell if he was right side up or upside down. Groaning he sat up, rubbing his cheek where it had scraped along the pavement. He hoped he hadn't lost any paint. "Is everybody okay?"

Buzz was behind him. He got to his knees and grunted. "That was…" His blue eyes flew open and he looked around in panic. _"Jessie! Where's Jessie?"_

"Right here!" Looking down the sidewalk, both toys could see her where the car had landed. She was standing near an opening in the fence looking dazed. "What in the name of Buddy Ebsen's Underoos was _that?"_

Woody looked around. Behind them there was a large pink rubber ball lolling on the pavement. "It must have hit the car."

"Well if it hit the car, then somebody must have thrown it," Buzz mused.

"Brilliant, Buzz."

"Don't get your denim in a twist, Cowboy. I meant if somebody threw it, then that somebody is probably still…"

" _SHAME ON YOU, GABBO!"_ shouted a very loud voice. _"YOU LOST OUR BALL!"_

"Hide!" Woody cried.

"There's no time!"

"There's gotta be a…"

The sound of footsteps began to pound around the fence corner and the three toys dropped. A dark haired little girl, no older than five, appeared. She was dressed in a light blue sundress and her mouth was dirty with grime. In her arms was a brown gorilla, sticky stains on its plush. "Now where did you throw…"

She stopped as her grubby flip flop hit the upside down car. "Look Gabbo, a toy car!" She scooped it up then gasped with joy. Jessie had hidden herself underneath and was now lying exposed. "A dolly!"

Grabbing Jessie by her neck and whipping her into the air, she almost shoved her into the Gorilla's face. _"Look look look!"_ Looking up, she spotted Woody and Buzz lying prone on the concrete. " _MORE DOLLIES!"_ She shrieked so shrilly that Woody wanted to cover his ears. In a second he and Buzz were being grabbed.

"What are you doing out here, Dollies?" The little girl looked at Jessie then at the two males. "Oh I see! I bet they were kidnapping you!"

 _THAT'S your first assumption?_

"I bet these mean old boy toys were kidnapping you and you were trying to get away! Well don't worry!" She smothered Jessie to her chest. "I'll protect you!" Turning she skipped into the fenced in-yard and up to a backdoor. "I'll make sure that these mean old boy toys never bother you again!"

 _Sorry Bo,_ Woody thought dourly as they were carried into the house. _I guess we're making a little detour…_


	7. Chapter 7

7:

* * *

The little girl carried Woody and Buzz to a laundry room. Setting them under an empty basket, she placed another basket, this one stuffed full of clothes, on top.

Stepping back, she surveyed her work with satisfaction. "I sentence you both to one million billion years!" Then to Jessie, she said, "Come Lady Cowgirl! You can join us for tea!" And with that she danced out of the room, swinging Jessie by the arm in a circle.

As soon as the door swung shut, Buzz sprung to life. _"Jessie!"_ Frantically he began to push on the hamper sides. It wouldn't budge.

Woody stood up behind him. "Aw, this is just great!" Buzz was still thrusting his weight against the basket. "Hey Muscles, will you stop? Until that little terror comes back, we're stuck in here!"

" _Can't…stop…"_ Buzz said through gritted teeth. _"Jessie…"_

"Is going to tea," Woody said resigned, sitting down against the far side of the basket.

" _Jessie hates tea parties!"_

Woody raised his eyebrows and Buzz sighed in defeat. "You're right. I just…When I think about what that little girl could do to her…" He clenched his fists. "Did you see the way she was flinging her around? Like Jessie was one of those Sticky Hands!"

"Sticky Hands?"

"You know what Sticky Hands are. They're rubbery and gummy and kids usually get them out vending machines or something." Buzz pressed his face to the open holes cut into the hamper.

"Speaking of sticky hands," Woody said, rubbing his shoulder where he had been grabbed. "I wonder when was the last time that kid washed hers." Buzz didn't answer. "Hey, don't worry Buddy! If Jessie survived Sunnyside she can survive anything!"

With a groan, Buzz sat down and flopped on the cold vinyl floor, resting his arm across his face. "I hope you're right."

* * *

Forty-five minutes passed. There was a black Kit-Cat Klock on the wall near the washer and dryer and soon its whirring, clicking noises began to drive Woody insane.

"Do you think she forgot about us?" Buzz asked, staring up at the top of the basket.

"I dunno. Maybe."

Buzz sat up. "That's it, I can't take it anymore!"

From outside the closed door off key singing could suddenly be heard. _"'FUNAMETAL FRIENDABILITY! FUNAMETAL FRIENDABILITY! FUNAMETAL FUNAMETAL FUNAMETAL…'"_

"She's coming!"

The door started to creak open. _"Linda!"_

The door closed again. Buzz beat his fist into the hamper side in frustration. "Blast!"

" _Linda, did you refill Goliath's bowl?"_

" _Not yet!"_

" _Go do it now!"_

" _AW MOM!"_

" _Linda, you promised that if we got you the dog you would help feed him and take him outside to dooky! Now go give him his kibble!"_

" _FINE!"_

As stomping footsteps echoed away, Buzz turned to Woody. "Let me stand on your shoulders."

" _What?"_

"I couldn't move it from the side before but maybe I can tilt it if I try pushing it from above!"

"Buzz, there's about five pounds of dirty laundry on top of us! Let's face it, we're stuck!"

Buzz punched his fist into his palm. "I'm not giving up! She's distracted, so it's now or never! We've got to get Jessie, get the car, and make a break for it!"

Woody groaned. Getting to his boots, he crouched so Buzz could pull himself up. As the Ranger climbed, his shoe slipped and hit Woody in the jaw. "Ow! Ow!"

"Hold still!"

"Jeez, you're even heavier than I thought!" Standing up straight, he grasped at Buzz's legs so he wouldn't topple. "Can you even reach the top?"

" _I…can…just…make it…"_

Suddenly the door slowly began to open. "She's back!" Gasping, Woody threw Buzz off his shoulders.

"Ow!"

Woody dropped to the ground and assumed his toy smile. Both waited.

Nothing happened. Blinking, Woody allowed himself to lift his head a little so he could take a peek.

The Cowboy was expecting to see a human. Instead, the plush Gorilla from outside pushed the door open. He entered, dragging his knuckles.

For a moment he stared at the two trapped toys. "Um, hello?" Woody stuck his fingers through one of the basket holes and wiggled them. "Hi there, we're kind of…"

Suddenly the Gorilla launched himself forward. Grabbing the top of the hamper, he swung himself upward and landed. With a single shove, he knocked the full basket off, sending blue shirts and khaki pants spilling across the ground.

Triumphantly Buzz threw the upside basket off their heads. Woody smiled at the Gorilla. "Hey thanks!" He stuck his hand out for a shake but the Gorilla didn't take it. Instead, with a sigh and a shake of his head, he turned and knuckle walked out of the laundry room.

Woody pulled his hand back in. "Okay then…"

Buzz bolted for the open door. _"Jessie!"_

"Hey wait for me!"


	8. Chapter 8

8:

* * *

It was a single story home and easy to navigate. Still Woody had a hard time keeping up with Buzz as the Ranger ran. "Slow down!"

" _Jessie, Jessie, Jessie…"_

Woody finally managed to grab Buzz's shoulder and pull him to a halt. "Will you chill? Man you're obsessed…"

"Says the guy who was willing to walk all the way to Berkeley."

"That's completely different!"

Soft footsteps could be heard and Buzz suddenly pushed him behind a cabinet. "Someone's coming!"

From their hiding place, the two watched a woman in crocheted slippers walk by. "She'll be back in school tomorrow…"

As her feet vanished, Woody turned to Buzz. "You've got to keep your head, Ranger! What…what would Commander Nebula say?"

Buzz shot him a look. "Commander Nebula is a cartoon character. And my show hasn't been on the air in…"

"Buzz! What would he say?"

Buzz sighed. Closing his eyes he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "He would say I'm letting my personal feelings affect my judgement. Blast, I know I'm better than this!"

Woody put his hand on his shoulder. "Aw Buzz, I know you love Jessie, but you've got to take a deep breath and calm down! Besides there's a dog around here somewhere, remember?"

"Yeah, Goliath."

"Exactly! That's the last thing we need!" Woody peered out from around the cabinet. There was a hallway extending outward from where they were. At the end was a door decorated with several vinyl Snoopy decals and a hanging nameplate that read _LINDA._

"There's her room!" The Sheriff quietly motioned for Buzz to follow. "Okay," he said as they reached the door. "I'll count to three and then we'll go in!"

"Do we go in _on_ three, or after three?"

"I don't care! After three!" He held up his fingers. "One, two…"

The door burst open, startling them both. Jessie ran out wearing a full length satin raspberry-pink dress, complete with ruffles, sash, and triangle collar. _"Consarnit little demon spawn makin' me sit through a gol'blasted tea party and then criticizin' MY manners! I'll take all the daggum sugar I wanna…"_

She whipped around to face them. Her cheeks were covered in magenta rouge, the tops above her eyelids were coated with deep purple, and bright red lipstick was smeared across her mouth. _"I HATE TEA PARTIES!"_

Woody began to laugh. He laughed so hard he had to hold his sides. Jessie growled. _"You think this is funny?"_

"It's a riot! Hey when you were drinking tea, did you make sure to stick your pinky out?"

Jessie lunged at him with a scream. _"DON'T MAKE ME DESTROY YOU!"_

Buzz grabbed her waist before she could tackle her brother. "Jessie…" He stood in front of her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Are you okay? You're not hurt are you?"

"Hurt?" Jessie blinked in confusion. "Nah, I'm not hurt…"

Buzz breathed a sigh of relief.

" _I'M MAD!"_ she screamed. _"I'M MADDER THAN A SPANISH FIGHTIN' BULL AT A MATADOR PARTY! LOOK AT ME!"_

Buzz turned to look at Woody. "We've got to get out of here!"

He nodded. "Do you have any idea where the car is?"

Jessie jabbed her thumb back toward the bedroom. "In there, but you ain't gonna like it."

Stepping inside, Woody looked around. Doll clothes, human clothes, games, DVDs and books completely covered the floor and every surface. "Wow, what a mess."

A pink plastic teapot with a face and two purple teacups lay nearby. "You're not going to yell at us too, are you?" asked the Teapot.

"Yell at you?"

"The Cowgirl who was in here before," said one of the Teacups. "She was really, really mad."

Woody held up his hands. "I'm just here to get my car."

"It's right there." Woody turned.

The Cowboy didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The car was covered in stickers and glitter. The front right tire had been pried off and was nowhere to be seen. The name "LINDA" had been written in red magic marker across the side.

"She…she trashed it."

"Linda has a hyperactive disorder," said the Teapot.

Woody pushed his hat back. "I can't take this home to Bonnie. And I can't drive this to Berkeley." He hung his head, squeezing his eyes shut. How would he ever get to Bo now? _Oh Bo. I_ will _get to you. I just gotta…_

"Take the bus."

Woody opened his eyes and looked up. "What?"

The Gorilla was coming toward him. He stopped. "You want to go to Berkeley?"

"Y-yeah. That's where we were headed."

"There's a bus stop over on the next road. On Unkrich Avenue. It'll take you to Berkeley."

Woody felt his spirits lift. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

The Gorilla snorted irritably. "Just take that lunatic Cowgirl with you."

* * *

Outside of the bedroom. Jessie had shed the dress but her face was still covered in Linda's botched makeup job. As Woody stepped out he heard Buzz say, "Are you sure you're all right?"

"I told ya I'm fine, Buzz…"

They looked at Woody. "Well?"

He sighed. "New plan, you guys. Looks like we're heading to Unkrich Avenue." A large shadow fell over them. "What in the…"

Something was coming around the hall corner. Something with a canine shaped shadow. "Goliath!"

"Gol-whatty-what?" Jessie said in confusion. Buzz jumped in front of her, blocking her with his arm. "Buzz!"

Woody braced himself for whatever was about to attack, be it Pitbull or Great Dane or German Shepherd or…

Tiny apple-headed Chihuahua puppy? Woody nearly fell over in astonishment. "THAT'S Goliath?" He said as the smallest dog he had ever seen bounded up to them. He yipped and growled, then bounced back and forth playfully.

Buzz relaxed his defensive position. "I guess the name is meant to be ironic…"

Jessie shoved him out of the way. _"CRITTER!"_ She shouted, running to the puppy. _"You're so cute!"_

Woody sighed. "All right, we've wasted enough time. Let's just get out of here. There's a doggy flap in the door we came in."

Jessie was busy hugging Goliath. "I don't wanna leave! I wanna play with the puppy!"

With a roll of his eyes Woody grabbed her arm and pulled her after them. "Come on, Elly May. You can play with the cat when we get home."

"But he's the cutest critter I've ever seen!"

Buzz pouted. "I thought I was cutest critter you've ever seen," he mumbled.

"No more stalling!" said Woody. "We have a bus to catch!"


	9. Chapter 9

9:

* * *

It was nearly one PM when the bus pulled up to the filthy looking bus shelter. Its front and back doors hissed open and a small group of passengers shuffled onboard. No one noticed the newspaper that climbed on behind the backdoor commuters. It darted under the nearest seat then continued to travel all the way to the back.

As the bus rolled forward, Woody threw the paper away. "So all we have to do is wait until the bus reaches Berkeley and then get off. Then it shouldn't be too far to Doctor Marcella's."

The three toys took a seat on the dirty floor. "Have either of you ever been to Berkeley?" asked Jessie.

"Once," said Buzz. "A few months ago Bonnie's Mom wanted to buy some, uh, scarlet monkeyflower seeds from a man on Craigslist who lived in Berkeley. She took Bonnie and me with her to pick them up. What about either of you?"

Jessie shook her head but Woody suddenly looked a little forlorn. "Yeah, actually. Andy's folks used to take us to the Kite Festival every July until Andy's Dad…" He didn't finish the sentence. "That was a long time ago though."

Buzz reached over and patted his shoulder. Jessie tugged at her braid. "You never told us that before."

"Well it never came up."

"In fact, you never really talk about your past at all."

"That's not true."

"It kind of is," Buzz said.

Jessie grinned. "Tell us your story, Woody!"

Woody looked perplexed. "I don't have a story."

"Horse hockey! Everyone's got a story!"

"Look," Woody said, turning to face her. "There's nothing to tell. I belonged to Andy's Dad, then I belonged to Andy, now I belong to Bonnie. The end." Jessie screwed up her face in disappointment. He stood, wiping dirt from his denim. "I'm going to go up top and keep a look out for Berkeley. You two…do whatever it is you do." And with that he grasped the cracked brown leather of the seat and hoisted himself up.

The back of the bus was empty and he was in no danger of being spotted. Sighing he settled by the window, leaning against the glass as streets and cars flowed by.

* * *

" _Come on, you don't wanna hear about all this old stuff…"_

" _Yes I do," Bo insisted. She was lying next to him on the bed. Outside the window, dark storm clouds were rolling across the afternoon sky and thunder could be heard in the distance._

" _Why?" he asked. "Why do you like these old stories?"_

" _Because you've had a long life and you've seen a lot of interesting things. I want to know about them."_

 _He smiled at her affectionately. "Okay, well you know we didn't have a TV until the late sixties. The closest thing we had besides the radio was the Super 8 and all the family ever played on it were the home movies they shot on vacation."_

" _Super 8?"_

" _Film projector," he clarified. "It was like a box with a light bulb inside. You opened it and loaded the film reels. It made a lot of clicking sounds." He made a circular motion with his finger and imitated the noise. "_ Tick, tick, tick, tick! _Then it would play the movie on a big screen on the wall. At least until Bobby, I mean Andy's Uncle fell through the screen and ripped it in half. After that if the family wanted to watch their trip to the Alamo they had to do it on a bed sheet."_

 _Bo giggled. "Tick, tick, tick."_

 _Woody couldn't help but chuckle back. "Yeah."_

" _So were you ever in any of the home movies?"_

" _Nah. Can you imagine me up on a big screen like some kind of celebrity?"_

 _Bo sat up slightly. "Why not?"_

" _Why not?" Woody echoed. "Look at me. I'm not exactly Gary Cooper."_

" _I don't know who that is," Bo said. She rolled over. Suddenly she was lying on his chest, looking up at him with her perfect baby blues. "But I'd still bet a million dollars he's got nothing on you."_

 _Reaching up, Woody began to stroke her cheek gently. "I love ya, Blue Eyes…"_

* * *

"Why are you being so weird?"

The words snapped Woody out of his memories. Under the seat, he could heard the voices of his friends, soft but audible, speaking to each other.

"I'm sorry. I'm not trying to make you upset."

Jessie spoke next and Woody couldn't help but imagine she was curled up with her knees to her chin. "Why are you being so gosh darn protective over me?"

"I've always been protective over you."

"Yeah, but lately you've been _over_ protective over me. You know I can take care of myself."

Buzz sighed. "I know. That's…one of the things I love about you."

"Then what's the deal with ya?"

"I just…" There was a pause. "I just don't know what I'd do if I lost you. If you got hurt or broken or if we were separated like…you know…"

There was silence.

"Is that what you're worried about? Us being separated?"

"It has crossed my mind, yes." There was a thumping noise as if Jessie had tackle-hugged him. "Whoa!"

"Buzz, I can't predict the future! But I do know that as long as I got earth under my boots and sky above my head, I wanna be with you! And not hell or high water's gonna come between us!"

"Oh Jessie…" There was another pause. "But what if we are separated? What then?"

"Come on, you think Woody's the only one willing to walk across an entire town just to find someone?"

Buzz chuckled. "Oh you Pride siblings."

There was no more talking. As the bus slowly began to ease into a brake, Woody looked out the window. Holding his hat firmly to his head, he crawled to the edge of the seat and leaned over until he was upside down.

Buzz had Jessie almost completely flattened against his chest as she entwined her arms around his neck. Woody coughed. "Ahem."

Both jumped. "Mother of Mary Todd!" Jessie snapped as Buzz turned as red as her hair. "Can't two toys get a little privacy?"

"Sorry Love Birds," said Woody. "But we've arrived."


	10. Chapter 10

10:

* * *

The sun had completely set. Undeterred by the darkness, the toy trio marched down the sidewalk in a single file line, occasionally passing through the flickering yellow light of street lamps.

"Buzz, are you sure about this?"

"I told you memorization is a key Space Ranger skill. I had the map completely retained in my mind before we even lost it at Linda's."

"Jeez, I hope you're right."

Jessie was lagging behind her male friends. Taking notice, Buzz slowed down until he was beside her. "Are you all right?" She raised an eyebrow and he held up his hands. "I'm not trying to be protective! I just want to make sure you're okay!"

"We've been walkin' for hours and I'm tired," she confessed. "Feet are gettin' sore too."

Buzz put a gentle hand on her back. "Is there anything I can do?" Jessie grinned…

Woody hadn't even noticed the two behind him. That is, until Buzz ran past, carrying Jessie piggyback style. _"Yes run! Yes, a Jedi's strength flows from the Force!"_ She growled over his shoulder.

"What are you two _doing?"_

Buzz stopped running and turned. "Jessie was tired so I'm just giving her a lift."

" _Mmmhmmmhmmmhmmm!"_ Jessie laughed.

"Will you two stop goofing around!" Woody snapped. "We can't afford any distractions!"

" _Anger, fear, aggression, the Dark Side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join…"_ Woody reached over and pulled Jessie's hat over her eyes.

"Woody, we've been walking for hours. Maybe we should take a break."

"A _break?"_ Woody repeated in disbelief.

Jessie slid off of Buzz's back. "Maybe we should try to get some shut eye too."

"No way! Night is the perfect time to travel! We're less likely to be spotted by humans! Do you want us to be picked up by another Linda?"

"But we're tired! We need to refresh!"

"You're a bit cranky too," Jessie added. "You could use a nap!"

"I don't _want_ a nap!" Woody rubbed his face in frustration. "I don't care if I have to walk all night and into next week!"

"Woody…"

"I am getting to that Doll Hospital, I am getting to Bo, and no force on Earth is going to stop me!"

And that was when they were grabbed.

* * *

Woody felt himself being hoisted into the air. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Buzz and Jessie being lifted as well. Jessie was screaming and punching while Buzz kicked and struggled. Whoever or whatever had them, it was a group and it was holding tight.

" _What's going on?"_

" _LET GO YA VARMITS!"_

They were being carried now to a dumpster. Somebody knocked on the side: one, two, a pause, then one, two again. A small rusted door opened.

"Password?"

"Charles Darrow."

The familiar scent of rotting garbage filled Woody's nose as he, Buzz, Jessie were carried into the dumpster and unceremoniously tossed on the ground.

The Cowboy couldn't see his own hand in front of his face. That didn't stop Jessie from screaming, _"Daggone cowards! Y'all wanna fight, show yourselves! I'll knock the batteries out of all of ya!"_

Light from above suddenly blinded them. Someone was holding a jumbo flashlight and shining it on them like an interrogation lamp. Through his blindness, Woody could just make out the silhouette of another doll.

"State your business."

"Look," Woody said, shielding his eyes. "This is all a big mistake! We're just passing through!"

"We're looking for Doctor Marcella!" Buzz added.

There was a gasp and the light shook as if the toy holding it had nearly dropped it. Murmurs and mutters filled the darkness of the dumpster. "Did I say something wrong?" said Buzz, confused.

The first toy who had spoken stepped further into the light and now they could see he was a porcelain faced jester doll dressed in black and white. "How do you know about Doctor Marcella?"

"Uh, how do you?"

"I'm asking the questions! Now tell us how do you know Doctor Marcella?"

"I-I found her online!" said Woody. "I saw her videos! I went to her website!"

"You mean the website that hasn't been updated in four years?"

Buzz and Jessie's heads simultaneously swiveled. " _Four years?"_

" _Woody…"_

"How was I supposed to know?" He snapped.

The Jester looked behind him. "Ah good," he turned back to the trio. "Our Leader is here. And you better not try to pull any fast ones!" As he stepped back into the dark and they could hear whispering.

"… _On our turf."_

"… _Overreacting…"_

" _They know…Marcella…"_

" _I'll…take care…"_

The three exchanged worried glances. Buzz slipped his hand into Jessie's and she gave him a squeeze.

"Forgive my friends," said a new voice, now loud enough for them to catch every word. "It's just that we don't often see new faces."

Jessie folded her arms defiantly. "Are you the Leader of these Lost Toys?"

"You could call me that…" The owner of the new voice stepped into the light, allowing all three toys to finally get a glimpse. She was a tiny plush tiger that barely came up past Woody's knee.

"But I prefer Shakes. Shakes the Rattle."


	11. Chapter 11

11:

* * *

"You're a rattle?" Woody repeated in disbelief. In response, the Tiger made a quick hop. From her belly came a clacking sound like plastic beads hitting each other. "Oh."

The Jester doll came back into the light. "You better tell us everything you know!"

"Calm your bells, Stańczyk," said Shakes. "They don't mean us any harm! These three are obviously just lost!"

"Uh, I knew where I was going," said Buzz.

"Did you?" Woody muttered. Buzz gave him a sour look. Out loud Woody said, "We're looking for Doctor Marcella."

"See? I told you," said the Jester.

Shakes frowned. "Well that's going to be rather difficult. If you're in need of repair perhaps we can assist you…"

"No, no! I don't…I mean, I think Doctor Marcella may have an old friend of ours!"

"Think again!" said the Jester bitterly. "We're all that's left, Pal! Every night we go out forging in the neighborhood looking for supplies just trying to get by!"

"What? What are you talking about?" said Buzz in confusion.

"Quiet Stańczyk!" said Shakes. To Woody she said, "If Marcella did take in your friend, I'm afraid he's long gone by now. A Doll Hospital is for repairs and returns. After your friend was fixed up, he would have been given back to his owner."

Woody felt himself beginning to shake. He closed his eyes. "No…"

"Stańczyk is right. We're the ones who were left behind." Shakes placed a paw on his leg. "I apologize."

Woody wished the earth would swallow him up. Never had he felt so cold and alone. "No…" Jessie put a hand on his back but it gave him no comfort. "We were so close…"

Shakes nodded to the rest of her group and they turned to exit the dumpster.

"Woody…"

"Bo was here, I know it." Woody slid to the floor. "She was here, but I'm too late. I'm always too late." He buried his face in his knees. "I've just lost her all over again."

"Wait…" The three looked up to see Stańczyk standing in front of them.

"What do you want?" Jessie said grouchily.

"Your friend," he said. "What was that name?"

"Bo," said Woody. "Little Bo Peep. But you said yourself…"

Stańczyk had already turned and was calling outside the dumpster door. "Shakes! Shakes!"

Shakes came back in. "What are you shouting about?"

"Tell her," said Stańczyk. "Tell her about the friend you're looking for."

"Jeez, ain't you done enough?" Jessie snapped. "Can't you see he's heartbroken?"

"No it's okay, Jessie," Woody stood. "Her name is Little Bo Peep. She's a porcelain doll. She has blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes and she wears a pink and white dress." As he talked he felt himself becoming excited. "When she talks she has a southern accent like warm honeycomb and she's kind and gentle and smart and loyal…"

"Easy there, Romeo," Jessie whispered.

Stańczyk had turned to Shakes. "He's talking about the Recluse."

The words made Woody feel as though his bottom were about to fall out. "What do you mean 'recluse'?"

Shakes smacked Stańczyk with her paw. "Never mind!" To Woody she said, "We'll take you to your friend."

And for the first time in a long, long time Woody felt something like joy.

* * *

It was only two city blocks but to Woody might as well been two hundred miles. He wanted to run the entire way but instead he settled for walking behind Shakes and Stańczyk.

"I still don't understand what happened to your Doll Hospital," said Buzz.

"What do you think happened?" said Stańczyk. "We got shut down!"

"I surmised that," said Buzz. "I only meant…"

"What about Bo?" Woody interrupted. "Why did Stańczyk call her a recluse? Is she okay? "

"Okay," Stańczyk repeated. "Except for being completely…"

"Stańczyk!" Shakes interrupted sharply. "He just meant she keeps to herself. She doesn't accompany us on forging missions or socialize with anyone. I speak with her sometimes. She's a lovely person, but…sad."

Woody's heart fell. The words were like a sock to the stuffing. His Bo was alone, and she was sad. _Don't worry, Bo. I'm coming for you and then you'll never be alone again…_

Shakes stopped. "We're here."

"Home sweet home," added Stańczyk sarcastically.

Woody was startled by the appearance of the building in front of them. "She's in there?" The Doll Hospital on Doctor Marcella's website had been a bright, happy looking building with rainbows and peace signs painted on its front. This building was completely boarded up. What paint was left was faded. Even the sign that said "Doll Hospital" was bleached out.

"She's usually in the back room…Hey!" Woody had already rushed to under the window. He wasn't letting Bo stay in this dilapidated shack for a minute longer.

His eyes searched the boarded up window. "Buzz, come on! Help me up!"

Buzz joined him at his side but didn't offer assistance. "Woody…"

"Don't just stand there!"

"Woody, calm down!"

"Calm down? Calm down?" Woody turned angrily. "Buzz, Bo's in there! _Look_ at this place! It's practically falling apart! Bo doesn't belong in a trash heap like this!"

"We live here too, you know!" called Stańczyk.

Buzz looked Woody in the eye. "Woody, do remember what you told me at Linda's house? You told me to keep my head and not let my personal feelings affect my judgement."

"This is different, Buzz!"

"Is it?" Buzz asked quietly.

Woody glared. "Bo is in there. And I'm getting her out. If you don't want to help, fine."

"I didn't say I didn't want to help."

"Ahem!" They turned towards Shakes. She was standing by the entrance. "If you two are finished, the front door _is_ open."

* * *

The inside of the Doll Hospital was even worse than Woody could have imagined. Dust covered every surface. Cobwebs hung from the corners of the ceiling. Not small ones either. Large, tanged ones, coated with fine powder. Beyond them something scurried.

"That's just the rats," said Shakes nonchalantly.

"Rats, like the Rats of NIMH?" asked Jessie hopefully.

"Rats like disgusting flea infested rodents," said Stańczyk.

"Don't worry. They usually don't bother us." Shakes stopped in front of an open archway. "She's in there."

Woody felt as though his legs were about to give way. He had seen this moment so many times in his dreams, though never in a place like this. "Woody?" He turned and looked at Buzz and Jessie. "Are you okay?"

He nodded numbly. "Yeah."

Buzz moved toward him and dropped his voice to a whisper. "Are you ready?"

Woody looked back into the room. "I've been ready for five years." His boots felt like lead as he moved them.

And then he was inside.


	12. Chapter 12

12:

* * *

The moon was shining through a side window but Woody wasn't sure if that made things better or just eerie. There was a bin nearby and he took a peek inside. He nearly jumped out of his boots. Toy parts, all doll limbs, just waiting to be repurposed.

"Pull my string!" he groaned, shutting his eyes and looking away. He decided this room was definitely eerie.

There was a soft scuffling noise. Woody turned his head sharply toward it. "Hello?" There was no answer and for a moment he wondered if it was another rat.

Up high in the moonlight he caught a glimpse of movement. Someone ducked into the darkness. "Wait!" he called. "Wait, wait, wait!"

There was an ottoman nearby. Using his shoulders, Woody shoved it to the wall and climbed on top and up to the shelves where he was certain he had seen someone. As he reached the top, he couldn't shake a feeling of familiarity and he didn't know why.

Of course, he told himself. These were the same shelves from Doctor Marcella's picture. But now instead of holding hundreds of toys, they were empty.

Somebody was hiding around the corner, he was sure of it. "Hey now," he said in his gentlest voice. "Don't be afraid! I'm just looking for an old friend! Come on out!"

Someone moved into the shadow between the shelves and the wall. "It can't be…"

The voice brought a thousand feelings to Woody all at once, joy, familiarity, love… _"Bo!"_ He began to run to her. _"I knew it was you…"_

"Pull your string!"

At the words he halted. "What?"

"Pull your string so I know it's really you."

"Bo, Honey, what do you mean? Of course it's me! It's Woody!"

"Just do it!"

Reaching behind him, he yanked on his pull string and let it wind into his back. _"There's a snake in my boot…"_

"There, you see? Sweetie, I've missed you so much…" He took a step toward her but she retreated further back.

"Please don't."

"What?" He wondered if he had misheard her. "What's wrong? What's happened to you?"

"How did you find me?"

"I saw you on one of Doctor Marcella's videos. I went to her website."

"It must have been an old video," she said softly.

"What in the world happened here? Why did everything fall apart? Why did Doctor Marcella abandon you guys?"

"She didn't."

"Then why?" he said. "Why are you living in an abandoned building?"

"She died, Woody. Four years ago." Even in the shadows, Woody could see Bo leaning against her crook. She sounded wistful as she spoke. "She was…quite a character. A true holdover from the hippie era. And she loved us. Nothing brought her more happiness than fixing a doll or a toy and making it as good as new. She loved to see the look on customers' faces as she returned their toys, especially children." She straightened.

"So she died? And that's was it? They just shut this place down?"

"Not quite. You see, Marcella loved fixing toys, but her children…not so much. She left them each a third of the business in her will and they've been in court ever since, fighting over what to do with the place. While they've been in court, we've been in limbo."

"Aw, jeez…Bo, I'm sorry! I wish I had found you sooner!" Once again he tried to step toward her. "Bo, will you please come out? I can't even see you!"

She made a noise that sounded like a bitter laugh.

"Please," he continued. "It's a beautiful night! The full moon is out! Just like…" His voice broke. "Just like our first night."

She paused. "It's a full moon?"

"Yes. Please, Honey. Let me look into your beautiful blue eyes."

Slowly, Bo finally took a step into the light. This time, Woody's legs did give way. In fact, as he looked at her, the entire room spun in a circle. _This can't be happening…Not Bo…Not…_

"That's going to be quite impossible, Sheriff," she said. In the moonlight, he could see everything: Her long graceful neck, her perfect pink mouth, and two almond shaped indents where her eyes used to be.


	13. Chapter 13

13:

* * *

Woody shook hard as his fingers grasped the shelf underneath him. _"No…"_ He felt as though he would vomit every piece of stuffing in his stomach. _"Bo,"_ he moaned. _"Oh Bo…"_

Suddenly a small soft hand was on his back. Despite his anguish, the familiar touch instantly brought back years of memories. He had craved that touch ever since it been taken from him and now…

Gently Bo pulled him to his feet. "Please," he begged as he looked into what were once her eyes. "What happened?"

"Time. Neglect. Age," she answered. "I guess I wasn't as well made as I thought." Then to his shock she said, "I'm sorry."

" _You're_ sorry? For what?"

"You've come…all this way for nothing." Even without her eyes, he was still able to read her face quite easily. Her mouth was turned down and her voice was soft and broken. "You always loved my eyes, Cowboy."

Woody's voice caught in his throat.

She placed a kiss on her fingers then touched them to the apple of his cheek. "It was nice hearing your voice again." Turning, she started to walk away, using her crook to navigate the shelf. "Tell Buzz I said hello. I'm sure he's around here somewhere. You two always did make quite a team."

"No."

She stopped. "Pardon?" She looked confused as Woody placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I said no." And with that he turned her around. He put his hand on her cheek, tilting her face upward. "Do you really think I came all this way for a pair of blue eyes and not the girl behind them?"

"Woody…"

He was embracing her now, kissing her all over her face. As she returned his kisses her knees buckled and he quickly caught her. "Watch out!"

"Oh Woody…" She grasped his vest where she buried her face, a sob shuddering through her frame. "I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you every day, and I love you!"

"I love you too."

Reluctantly, he stopped kissing her. "Come on, we're getting you out of here." Bending down, he picked her up.

"Where are we going?" she asked as he walked to the edge of the shelf.

"I'm taking you home."

"Wait!" Placing her fingers in her mouth, she whistled. From around the corner, Woody could see a familiar three headed shape scurry into the shadow and then come into the light.

"Howdy, Fellas," he said to the Sheep. "Miss me?" They _baahhhed_ at him. They were dirty and scratched but otherwise seemed to be whole. "Nice to see you too."

Gently he climbed down to the ottoman, the Sheep hopping onto the maroon cushion after him. From the top he could see Buzz and Jessie in the doorway.

Jessie gasped and started to bolt toward them but Buzz placed a hand on her shoulder. He frowned and Woody guessed his Ranger instincts had picked up that something was not quite right.

Still cradling Bo, Woody climbed to the floor. "How are you doing?" he whispered to her.

"I've missed your body," she said. "Still feels nice." Sputtering, Woody laughed. She smiled impishly. "You're blushing, aren't you Sheriff? You haven't changed."

"Neither have you."

Buzz and Jessie finally joined them in front of the ottoman. "Is everything…all right?" Buzz asked.

"Everything's fine now, Buzz."

"Hello, Buzz," Bo said sweetly.

Buzz saluted. "Ma'am!"

Jessie apparently could no longer hold back and she screamed. _"BO!"_

"Jessie, you're here too? It _is_ a reunion."

"Of course I'm here! Don't ya recognize…" Bo turned her face and Jessie stopped. "Oh my…"

"It's not that bad…"

Jessie looked from Bo to Woody to Buzz then back to Bo. "You're…you're…" Then Jessie did something Woody had never seen her do before.

She burst into tears.

"Let me down, Sugar." Woody set Bo on the floor and using her crook she felt her way to Jessie. "There, there…"

Jessie wiped her streaming eyes on her cuff. _"Who did this to you?"_ she demanded furiously. _"I'll kill them!"_

"No one, Jessie. It was just time." She wrapped her arms around the crying Cowgirl and hugged her. "Oh Jessie. I couldn't ask for a better friend."

Jessie sniffed as if she were trying to stop crying. "Does it hurt?"

Bo looked surprised. "No, it doesn't hurt. It's just…dark."

Jessie started to weep again.

Woody was starting to feel the exhaustion of the adventure catch up with him. "Let's just go home." There was a noise in the doorway and he looked up. From the arch, he could see Shakes, watching them. "Hold on, Gang. Buzz, Jessie, take care of her for a second."

Buzz nodded. Jessie had finally started to calm down and she nodded as well.

Walking to the arch, Woody knelt so he could look at Shakes. "So you found your Love, huh?"

"I did," he said. Then after a pause, "Thank you. I could have never done this without you."

Shakes shrugged and looked away. "I'm sure you would've found your way here eventually."

"Come with us, Shakes."

She drew back in shock. "What?"

"You and Stańczyk and all your friends. You shouldn't have to stay in this rundown shack waiting for some lawsuit to settle! Come with us and live at Bonnie's!"

Her tail drooped. "I cannot…"

"Sure you can…"

"I mean, they can, if they want to. But _I_ cannot." She spread her paws out. "I'm not like the others. Their owners never came to pick them up after they were fixed. I'm different. I was never broken." She turned so Woody couldn't see. "Until Sunny lost me."

"Sunny was your owner?"

Shakes nodded. "Marcella's daughter. The only one who wants to continue the Doll Hospital, but Serenity and Salix…" She stopped. "It doesn't matter. I have to stay."

"Are you sure?"

"I'll go tell the others that they can come with you." Slowly she walked away, her head bent.

Woody's instincts for helping started to kick into overdrive. _Stop it,_ he told himself. _Your number one priority is Bo!_ He looked back to the ottoman.

Bo was talking to Jessie and smiling like her old self. Despite years of dirt build up she was the most radiant thing he had ever seen.

 _From now on…Bo is the most important thing in my life._


	14. Chapter 14

_A special shout out and congrats to my friend Heather, aka Heathinator, who inspired the name "Oklahoma"._

* * *

14:

* * *

"You really want to take them all with us?" Buzz said. He and Jessie glanced at the group of toys that had gathered in the backroom.

Jessie smirked. "Are you surprised?"

"C'mon Buzz. Every toy deserves a good home. Besides there's only…" he paused to take a count. "One, two, three, four….Four of them."

Jessie rubbed her shoulder awkwardly. "Felt like more when they grabbed us."

"Four," muttered Buzz. He looked at Woody, confused. "Where's Shakes?"

Woody sighed. "Shakes doesn't want to come."

"Doesn't want to come?" Buzz repeated. "But she…"

"I'm not surprised." The three looked over at Bo. She was sitting on the floor with her sheep, her back toward them. "Life hasn't been kind to Shakes. In a way, she reminds me of you, Jessie." With that she began to pull herself up by her crook. Seeing this, Woody rushed over to help her. As he touched her waist, she smiled and patted his hand. "Oh! Thank you!" Turning around, she spoke to the group, "Give Shakes her space. Maybe she'll change her mind with time."

"Do we even have time?" Woody said. "I wanna get out of this hovel ASAP."

"And then what? How are we going to take four, no, six extra toys with us on a bus? The three of us just barely fit under the newspaper!"

"There's gotta be a way!"

"You two will think of something," said Bo. She reached out and took both their hands. "You always do. When you two put your heads together, there's nothing you can't do."

Woody knew she couldn't see it but he smiled at her gratefully.

"Until then why don't we get some sleep? Buses don't run until daytime anyway."

"I am bushed," Jessie confessed.

"Sleep?" Woody echoed. "Sleep where?" He looked around at the dirty, dusty floor and mentally cringed at the thought of spending eight hours there.

"Excuse me?" Stańczyk stepped forward from his group. "Doctor Marcella's bedroom is down the hall."

* * *

As Bo held his arm, Woody followed Stańczyk and the others to a room with a queen sized bed. "This wasn't just Doctor Marcella's Doll Hospital," said Stańczyk as he led the way inside. "It was her home too."

"I call the big pillow!" Jessie shouted, sprinting forward.

As the group climbed the white Chenille comforter, Woody turned to Bo. "It's really high up," he said. "Let me carry you."

"I think I can manage…" Picking her up gently like an infant he began to slowly ascend. With a sigh, Bo just rested her chin on his shoulder.

Up on top the toys were finding spots to settle into. Woody laid Bo against a hand stitched pillow and sat down beside her.

Buzz was sitting nearby with his legs stretched out. "Maybe since we're all going to be living together after this, we should introduce ourselves."

"Great idea!" Jessie shouted, popping her head out from behind the tops of the pillows. She climbed over and slid down. "I'll start!"

"I thought you were bushed," said Woody.

"Howdy! I'm Jessie the Yodelin' Cowgirl! They call me the Epiglottis Goddess!"

"No one calls her that."

"I'm the sassiest, brassiest Cowgirl in the Wild, Wild West! I love critters and adventure and this fellah right here!" She leaned over. Folding her hands under her chin, she rested them on Buzz's shoulder, causing him to blush.

"Who's next?" asked Woody.

A white ball of fur with a dog-like face shuffled forward. He had purple eyes, two heart shaped ears, and pink and blue legs. Behind him he dragged a fuzzy orange and purple pompom tail. "I guess I can go." He cleared his throat. "My name is Snowball…"

" _Hello Snowball…"_

"I'm a Popple. Well technically I'm a Puffling but I'm from the same line! I just wanted to say I'm really excited to be played with again!"

" _ARGH!"_ Jessie shouted, jumping up and scooping him up in her arms. _"YOU'RE SO CUTE I CAN'T STAND IT!"_

"Here we go," Woody muttered. He stood and walked to Jessie who was hugging Snowball. "Jessie, come on! Manners!"

Snowball looked at him. "She knows I'm not a puppy, right?"

"It doesn't matter," Woody sighed.

" _Critter's a critter!"_ Jessie shouted triumphantly.

"Jessie, enough! Put the Popple down!"

" _Never!"_

"Jess…"

Jessie opened her mouth and let out a loud Bride-of-Frankenstein hiss at Woody. _"Go away! My critter!"_ She took off her hat and began to hit Woody's back and shoulder. _"Shoo! Shoo!"_

"Hey! Quit it!"

From the pillow he heard Bo's laughter. "Oh Jessie, no one makes me laugh the way you do!" Woody's heart melted.

In an instant he was seated by her again. This time he enveloped her in a hug, pressing her head to his shoulder. "Oh!" she said in surprise. "Howdy, Sheriff."

"I never realized just how much I missed your laugh until just now," he whispered so the others couldn't hear.

"You're getting soft on me, Cowboy," she teased. She gave him a poke in the belly. "Good. I like you soft."

There was a large white cat sitting across from them, even taller than Woody, wearing a reddish-purple dress and matching floppy hat. She spoke next. "My name is Miss Pretty Kitty." Woody raised an eyebrow and she sighed. "I didn't choose my name."

Sitting beside her was a farmer boy dressed in green overalls, a white buttoned shirt and straw hat. He had brown strips of yarn for hair and painted blue eyes and he drawled as he spoke. "Name's Oklahoma, but folks call me Okie for short."

"I guess that's everyone except…" Woody looked around. "Where's Stańczyk?"

"Disappeared a while ago," said Okie. "I think he went to talk to Shakes."

"Yes, I did see her hovering around the door," said Miss Pretty Kitty. "I was wondering why she wouldn't come in."

Jessie suddenly let out a yawn and flopped backward. Rolling over, she snuggled into Buzz's chest plate and closed her eyes. Chuckling, Buzz put his hand on the back of her hair and stroked it softly.

One by one the toys found comfortable spots and lay down. Woody and Buzz lay side by side, each of their respective lady loves nestled under their arms. Woody smiled down at Bo tenderly. _Just to have you sleeping in my arms again feels like…_

"What _are_ we going to do about tomorrow?" Buzz suddenly said quietly. "How are we going to get home?"

"Last time we took a garbage truck."

"The garbage trucks don't run tomorrow."

Woody frowned. "We need something that does run. Think, what runs every day?"

There was quiet. Bo mumbled something. "Pardon? Honey, did you…"

" _Mail truck. Mail truck runs every…every…"_ She didn't finish the sentence. Instead, Woody felt her fall into a gentle sleep, her chest moving slightly with every light breath. He looked over at Buzz who smiled, impressed at the idea.

Stańczyk suddenly pulled himself over the side of the bed. Wordlessly, he walked to the far end of the mattress and lay down.

Woody debated with himself whether or not to call out to the Jester doll, but then decided against it. _If he wants to talk, he'll talk._

Woody placed a kiss on the top of Bo's bonnet. "Welcome back, Bo."


	15. Chapter 15

15:

* * *

Woody parted the leaves of the hawthorn shrub and peered out. Just a few feet away he could see the rounded blue mailbox standing on the corner. "Stańczyk, you're sure about this?"

Stańczyk sat in the bush behind him with his arms crossed. "Of course I'm sure," he said grouchily. "She comes every day at 9:34, empties the bin, and leaves. Takes twenty seconds."

"Then we better be quick."

"Twenty seconds…" The bush rustled and Jessie suddenly appeared inside, Snowball scuttling behind her. She cackled. _"But not today!"_

Woody looked at her in horror. "What did you _do?"_

"You'll see."

"No, I wanna know and I wanna know right…"

" _Shhh."_ Next to him Bo suddenly lifted her head. "There's a truck coming." Woody looked at her in surprise, then looked out of the bush. Sure enough the blue and white mail truck was headed down the street.

"You're right, the mail truck's coming, but how did you…"

"I can feel the vibrations," she said simply.

"Uh, right." Woody wondered what else Bo could sense but before he had much time to ponder the issue Buzz had leapt to the front of the bush and was looking out.

"Here comes the mail carrier…" he reported. "She's walking to the box and…"

There was a loud cry. _"GUM! ACKKK IT'S STILL WET!"_

Woody looked at Jessie crossly. "Gum? _Really?"_

"Sugar free!" said Snowball.

Jessie grinned with pride. "Snowball and I raided Doctor Marcella's pantry this morning!"

"Come on Troops, let's move out!" Buzz ordered.

They charged through the bush and to the back of the truck. Pretty Kitty stood by the bumper and lifted each toy up to the open back door. "Careful!" Woody whispered as she lifted Bo.

"I am very gentle!" she said with a smile as she picked Bo up and placed her in the truck. Jessie took her arm and led her inside.

Woody was just about to climb the bumper himself when he became aware of something, or rather someone behind him. He turned. "Shakes?"

Stańczyk poked his motley capped head out of the truck. "Shakes?"

She looked off to the side uncomfortably. "Is…there room for one more?"

Stańczyk leapt off the truck and ran to her. He scooped her up in his arms and hugged her. "Don't you get sentimental, Stańczyk," said Shakes. "It doesn't suit you."

" _Arrgh, people! I hate people!"_

Woody gasped. "She's coming!" Quickly, Pretty Kitty grabbed Stańczyk and Shakes and put them on the truck. She and Woody climbed on board.

As the truck hummed to life, Woody made his way into the back. Bo was sitting upright, her sheep beside her, and he collapsed on the truck bed next to her. "That was close."

"But you did it," Bo said. Reaching over, she pulled his head into her lap. Gently she began to stroke his face with her long delicate fingers, tracing his nose and lips. Woody closed his eyes in bliss, losing himself to her soft touch…

" _Yeeeehah!"_ Woody's eyes flew open. Jessie was sticking out of one of the mailbags, clutching envelopes to her chest. "And they say letter writin' is dead!"

"Put those down!" Woody commanded crossly.

"Sheesh, sorry!" She waved a postcard in the air. "Wouldn't wanna deprive Ms. K. Wilkerson of the chance to win five thousand dollars a week for life!"

"Miss Jessie, I think messin' with the mail is a federal offense," said Okie.

"You're absolutely right, Son," Buzz agreed. He reached up and clasped Jessie around the waist, lifting her out of the bag. "Come on, Jessie. You don't know where those have been anyway." Pulling her into his arms, bridal style, he carried her to the other side of the truck. "They're probably filthy."

Woody sighed and laid his head back down. Above him he could see Bo was smiling. "You're happy?"

"I am," she said. "I was just thinking how nice it would be home with Molly and Andy again…What's wrong?" She placed a hand on his chest. "You just tensed."

"You didn't tell her?" Jessie said in disbelief.

"Tell me what?"

"It didn't exactly come up!" Woody pulled himself out of Bo's lap. "We uh, we don't exactly live with Andy and Molly anymore. We were…well, we were donated."

Snowball shuffled over and plopped down. "Who _are_ we going to belong to?"

"Her name is Bonnie. She just turned five and she's really great! She's very imaginative and she loves toys! In fact she wants to fix them when she grows up!" Looking at each other, the Doll Hospital toys all exchanged smiles.

Bo slipped her hand into Woody's. He looked down at the tiny white hand inside of his own. "I'm sorry," she said. "You must have been devastated to lose Andy like that."

"Nah," he said. Bo frowned, as if in thought, and he got the feeling she didn't really buy it. "It's okay. _I_ made the choice, Bo. I had to stay with the Guys."

With a smile, she leaned into him. "Sheriff Woody. Most loyal Cowboy in the West, and all other directions too."

Jessie was sitting on a box and she leaned forward. "Ya gonna tell her 'bout the incinerator next?"

" _Jessie!"_

There was a bump in the road and Jessie tumbled backwards with a yelp. Woody reached out to steady Bo. "I'm fine," she said. She tilted her face upward. "I was looking forward to being with Molly again." She paused then pursed her lips resolutely. "But I guess as long I'm with you, anywhere is home."

Woody smiled and put his arm around her. "I love you, Bo."

"I love you, too." Then she smiled to herself. "Bonnie, huh? So we belong to a little girl..."


	16. Chapter 16

16:

* * *

The truck arrived in Emeryville by noon. By the time it had paused near Juju's House O'Food, the toys decided they could walk the distance.

By the time Bonnie's house was in view, the sun was almost completely set. Woody had his arm around Bo's waist. "Are you tired?"

"A little bit…" She was using her crook to navigate the sidewalk in front of her. It scraped against an acorn and she brushed it aside. "But I can make it if you can."

"Good," he said. "Because we're here." As he pushed open the gate to let her and the others through, he paused for a moment to take it all in. They were home.

Bo gently tugged on his vest. "Describe it to me."

"It's yellow…"

"What kind?"

"What kind?" he echoed.

"There are all kinds of yellow, Woody. Yellow like sunshine, or is a more of a pastel?"

"Um…" He had never been really good at that artsy kind of thing, but for Bo he would give it a try. "I guess it's a butter yellow. And the roof is…well it's brown. A light brown. The trim is white and there's a matching white fence. It's only one story."

"That'll make getting around easier."

"There's a big garden on the right side with a giant sycamore tree," he continued. "Bonnie's Mom loves flowers so she always plants a lot of them."

"I do smell something nice," Bo said. "Something lemony…"

"That's the geraniums."

" _Mmm,"_ she ran a finger down his vest. "You're going to have to take me out here for a date sometime, Cowboy." He laughed sheepishly. "Your home sounds lovely."

"Well my home is your home." He leaned in to give her a kiss, when there was a cough from the porch.

Buzz, Jessie, and the others were standing on the patio, watching. Buzz in particular looked a little embarrassed. "Woody, it's getting late."

Bo smiled. "Hold those lips, Sugar," she said, loud enough for everyone else to hear. "We'll have plenty of time later." Woody turned five shades of red.

As they walked to the porch steps, the front door suddenly swung open. Potato Head waddled out, followed by Rex, Slinky, and Hamm. "So you're back already?"

"How'd you…"

"Saw you from the window," said Hamm. "And looks like you brought home a couple of strays." He jabbed Potato Head with his front piggy foot. "Told ya. Pay up." Potato Head groaned and handed over his hat. Hamm cackled and flipped it on his head.

More toys began to come out the front door onto the porch. "Where's Bonnie?" asked Jessie.

"Family went out to 'Poultry Palace' for dinner," said Dolly. "She was _not_ a happy camper to see you three gone."

"We'll make it up to her," said Buzz. "However, our mission _was_ successful."

"You mean," Mrs. Potato Head gasped. "You found _her?_ You found…"

Buzz stood aside to let them see. Woody had his arm around Bo's waist and he was gently guiding her up the porch stairs. "Watch your step."

"I've got it."

" _Oh Bo!"_ Mrs. Potato Head tearfully bounded forward. "After all this time, I can't believe you're finally…"

The two reached the top landing. As she saw Bo's face, Mrs. Potato Head's voice died midsentence. In fact, the entire porch was silent, save for the clicking of cicadas in the distance.

"If you'll excuse us," Woody said, not letting go of Bo's waist. "We'd like to go inside. Come on, Honey." With that, he led her to the front door.

* * *

In Bonnie's room, Woody found a small pillow for Bo to sit on. "There," he said, helping her to the cushion.

"That feels nice," she said. "But shouldn't you be introducing me to your new friends?"

Looking behind him, he could see Bonnie's toys walk slowly in. Huddled together, they stared silently. He stood up straight. "What's the matter with all of you?" he said gruffly, addressing the toys that used to belong to Andy. "It's Bo you morons!"

Quick as a shot Bo's crook hit him in the rear, causing him to jump. _"Woody!"_

Slinky looked at the others then inched forward. "B-Bo?"

She smiled. "Slinky? I'd recognize that voice anywhere." She patted the pillow. "Come here." He hesitated, then made his way over. Reaching for him, Bo rested her hand on his head. "Hello, Slink. Your tail still have a mind of its own?" She began to scratch behind his ears and he relaxed.

Placing his head on her knee, Slinky rolled his eyes up at her. "'Shore is nice to have you back, Bo."

The others finally began to move forward, encircling Bo like a wreath of flowers. Mrs. Potato Head clasped her hand. "You poor, poor thing!" she sobbed.

"I'm all right."

"Bo, what happened to you?" Rex asked softly.

"The paint wore away from my eyes."

"Can ya see us at all?" asked Slinky.

Woody's mouth dropped open to object but Bo answered calmly, "Not a bit."

"How long have you been blind for?"

"Come on, Guys!" Woody protested loudly. "Don't ask questions like that!"

"I don't mind. It started about three years ago but it just happened gradually over time."

The door opened again and this time, the Peas bounced in. Bullseye ran in behind them, giving chase. "Can't catch us!"

Jessie turned and waved eagerly. _"Bullseye!"_

The horse stopped in his tracks. Seeing Jessie, he reared enthusiastically then bounded toward her wildly. She spread her arms wide, letting him run into them for a hug.

"Oh Bullseye!" She wrapped herself around his neck. "I missed you too!" Grinning, she said, "Hey, guess what? We brought someone all the way from Berkeley for ya to see!" Bullseye's ears pricked forward and he stood at alert as she pointed to Bo. "Go say hi!"

Within a second he was charging. Bo stood. "Well hello, Bullseye…"

Woody jumped in between them, causing Bullseye to skid on his hooves. _"STOP!"_ he hollered.

"Woody!"

Bullseye shrank back, his ears flattened. His bottom lip began to quiver. "No, no! Bullseye! Don't be upset! I'm sorry! I just didn't want you rushing Bo…"

"Oh for goodness sake, Woody! Bullseye wouldn't hurt me!" Bo moved past Woody and placed her hand on Bullseye's mane, stroking it gently. "See?"

Jessie stomped over, her fists curled tightly by her sides. She raised one and hit Woody square in the shoulder. _"Ow!_ What in the…"

" _That's_ for yellin' at my horse!"

Woody rubbed his arm. "He's my horse." He looked over at Bo, who was petting Bullseye's muzzle. Now Bonnie's other toys were coming to meet her.

"So you're the Lady Bo that captured the Sheriff's heart." Pricklepants took Bo's hand gallantly. "My Dear if I may be so bold, you are indeed a ray of warm sunlight on a cold winter's morn."

"Well aren't you charming?"

Woody crossed his arms. "A little too charming," he muttered.

Bo smiled. "I heard that."

Trixie shrieked in delight, causing Bo to jump. _"You're so pretty!"_

"Oh! Thank you!"

"When are you and Woody going to get married?"

Woody rushed over and clamped his hand over Trixie's mouth. "Okay that's enough sugar for you!" he said quickly.

" _Sukghar?"_ Trixie said in confusion, her mouth muffled.

"Go play with Rex," he said, shooing her away. To Bo, he said, "Are you doing all right? You're not too tired?"

She shook her head. "After being alone for so long, it's nice to be with people again. Your friends are all wonderful." Touching Woody's arm she said, "What about Bonnie? Do…do you think she'll accept me?"

"What? Why wouldn't she…Oh." Woody stopped. _"Oh."_ With all his desperation just to get Bo back into his life, he hadn't even considered the possibility that Bonnie might not want her. He wrapped his arm around her comfortingly. "Not to worry, Little Missy! Bonnie's going to love you!"

"You're sure? Even with…"

"Absolutely! Look, Bonnie's not like that. She loves toys. All toys. It's in her blood." He placed a hand on the back of her head and pressed her gently to his shoulder for a hug. "Any kid would be thrilled to have you."

"Mmm," she murmured into his vest. "You're still the sweetest."

"I think most kids have a good sense of their toys, and Bonnie's going to know right away that you're the sweetest, kindest doll she's ever had."

Bo laughed. "Woody! You make me sound almost like a saint!"

He was about to give her a kiss when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned. "Oh. Hey, Buzz."

"Sorry to interrupt, but Dolly says Bonnie and her parents should be home soon. How are we going to play this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, seven new toys have just arrived in her bedroom. Where is she going to think they came from?"

Woody frowned. "Hmmm…"


	17. Chapter 17

17:

* * *

Woody crouched on the floor with the pen. As he wrote on a sheet of paper, Buzz stood behind him. "Are you sure she's going to fall for this?"

"Buzz, she's five."

"But she's not stupid."

"No, but…"

"They're home!" Buttercup suddenly yelled from the window.

Woody snatched the paper off the floor and ran to a cardboard box that was sitting in the middle of the room. Hoisting himself up, he looked inside at the Doll Hospital toys. "Okay, she's coming! Just act natural!"

"As opposed to what?" said Stańczyk.

Bo was huddled in the corner with her sheep under her arm. "She's going to love you," said Woody. "All of you." And with that he closed the box flaps and stuck the paper on top.

As soon as Woody found himself back on Bonnie's bed, the door swung open. Bonnie skipped inside, holding a container of French fries. An orange and white cat with light colored eyes followed at her feet.

"Silly Moocher! You want a fry?" Kneeling down she pulled out a fry and held it for him. Quickly he gobbled it up, making her laugh.

It was then that she spotted the box. Standing up, curiosity and confusion on her face, she walked over. "What's this?" She picked up the note. _"'Dear Bonnie,'"_ she read slowly. _"In all my travels, I have never met anyone who loves toys as much as you. That is why I am giving you a special mission. Please take care of these toys and give them a good home. Thanks for being a good girl! Love, Santa Claus'"_

Bonnie whipped around excitedly. "Did you hear that, Moocher! Santa brought me toys!"

Moocher was stretched out on the floor, looking disinterested. Woody's chest, however, suddenly felt a million times lighter. _She bought it…_

Bonnie opened the box flaps eagerly and began to pull out the toys one by one. First she looked at Pretty Kitty, touching her hat and dress. "Oh, you're a fancy lady cat! I bet you like tea and crumpets!"

Then she tucked Snowball inside his pink pouch and then pulled him back out. She tweaked his nose. "I like you!"

She unbuttoned Okie's overalls and then re-buttoned them. She jingled Stańczyk's hat and smiled with delight when she heard Shakes' rattle.

She had just placed her hand on Bo's sheep to lift them out of the box when she finally spotted Bo. Gently, she picked her up…

Woody couldn't help it. He broke character. Bonnie's back was toward him so she couldn't see, but it was still a no-no. Slowly, he crawled further to the edge of the mattress so he could see better. He'd probably get an earful later from Potato Head if the Spud saw, but right now he didn't care. He needed to be closer.

Bonnie turned Bo around. Her eyes widened in surprise. "You're…"

The seconds dawdled painfully. Woody felt as though he might suffocate.

Then Bonnie held Bo to her chest as a mother might. "You're so beautiful."

Woody collapsed, his head hitting the comforter as he did. He felt the air rush back into him as he recited prayers of thanks.

Bonnie turned. "Woody?" She stood. "Where did you come from?" She picked up the now limp doll from the bed. Smiling she held him up so he was facing Bo. "Woody, this is our new lady friend…No…" She turned Woody so she could look into his big brown eyes. "Maybe…maybe you already know her. Maybe _you're_ the one who went to the North Pole to get her."

 _Buzz was right,_ Woody thought. _Smart as a whip this one._

Bonnie placed Woody on the floor and set Bo beside him. "From now on, you gotta take care of her! Okay? 'Cause that's what brave Sheriffs do! Take care of her and read her stories and make sure she's not afraid during thunderstorms!"

 _Will do, Partner…_

"And you," Bonnie said, addressing Bo. "Make sure he eats his vegetables and kiss all his boo boos!" She picked up Woody's hand and put it over Bo's. "Don't let him work too hard."

" _Bonnie, it's bath time!"_

Bonnie grinned and stood. As she ran out of the room she shouted, _"Daddy, Santa came early…"_

Woody blinked. As he stood up off the floor, he was aware that Bo was still holding his hand. Holding his hand and smiling playfully.

"Well, Sheriff…"

"Well, Miss Peep?"

"You heard the girl. Time for you to eat your vegetables."

Woody laughed and pulled her close. "I told ya she'd love you."

"She's a delight," Bo said. "Everything I could ever hope for." Reaching up, she felt his hat, twisting the brim back and forth. "Way to go, Santa."


	18. Chapter 18

18:

* * *

The next morning Woody was woken up by sunlight streaming through Bonnie's window. From his spot where his head peeked out from under her covers, he could see the sky was a deeper blue than he could ever remember before. Somewhere a bird trilled.

He had no doubt about it. Today was going to be an amazing day.

After Bonnie left for the day, he slid down the bedpost like a fireman. Buzz was standing nearby looking dozy. He greeted him with a slap on the back. "'Mornin', Ol' Buddy!"

Buzz looked at him startled. "Good morning."

"Isn't a beautiful day, Buzz? I tell ya, have you ever seen a bluer sky?"

"Uh, an increase in water vapor diffracting the shorter wavelength of the visible spectrum can cause the sky to appear a deeper blue."

Woody laughed. "Good old Buzz! Don't ever change!"

By now Jessie had joined them. Buzz looked concerned. "Uh, Woody? Are you feeling okay?"

"Sure! I'm feeling great!"

"You don't just seem like…" Buzz hesitated. "Yourself."

Jessie grinned and leaned on Buzz's shoulder. "He's got the honey glows."

Woody flushed, then laughed. "I'm gonna go find Bo. I'll see you two Love Birds later!"

As Woody walked away, humming to himself, he heard Buzz mutter, "He's got it bad." The Cowboy didn't even care.

* * *

Bo was standing in front of Bonnie's white cabinet, petting her sheep. She made a noise of surprise as Woody snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Good morning to you too, Sheriff," she said as he squeezed. Turning, she planted a kiss to the side of his mouth. "What are we doing today?"

"Bonnie just left for kindergarten, but she'll be back at noon. She only has half days."

"So we've got the next few hours to ourselves. Anything in particular you've got in mind?"

Woody scratched under his hat. "Well I was thinking about a kind of 'Get-To-Know-You' for all the new toys in the room. But in order to do that, we'd have to..."

Jessie suddenly dashed across the bedroom as if she were on fire. She was holding Snowball above her head. _"PARTY!"_ she screamed.

"Not so fast! Not so fast!"

Woody sighed. "Not what I was going to say, but okay."

"You don't mind?"

"Nah," Woody shook his head and slung his arm around Bo's shoulder. "Let's have a party."

* * *

It took less than five minutes for the party to be set up. Buzz pulled a few board games out of the closet while Jessie found a radio station playing rock music. Woody watched as the toys spread out and began to pair into groups. Some of them began to find their way to the games.

Bo slipped her arm through Woody's. "Be my plus-one?"

"Always." Leading her gently, they began to make their way through the social. Bits and pieces of conversation floated by them.

"Well I've always wanted to do stand up comedy..."

"You've never played video games? _AHHH!_ We're going to have to set up a gaming session! We'll start with a simple sandbox RPG, and then..."

"My hat is sewn to my head. It doesn't come off."

"Oh look!" Mrs. Potato Head suddenly cried. "There's Woody and Bo!" Dragging her reluctant looking husband by the arm, she barreled over to them.

Woody tipped his hat. "Howdy, Potato Head. Missus."

"Good morning," said Bo.

"It's so good to see you two together again!" Mrs. Potato Head said happily. "How is Bo?"

Woody squeezed Bo's arm affectionately. "She's doing fine." Potato Head said nothing but gaped at his wife.

"Well if there's any she needs, just let us..." Potato Head suddenly began to push her from behind away from them.

"Hey! I wasn't done talking!"

Potato Head looked embarrassed. "Sorry Bo," he mumbled.

Woody stared after them bewildered. "What was that about?"

Bo just sighed. "Nice talking to you."

* * *

The next toys they met were Trixie and Mr. Pricklepants. "So tell us how you met Bo!" Trixie said eagerly.

"She was a baby shower present. I helped her out of the box."

"I was there too," Bo said softly.

"Was it love at first sight?" Trixie asked excitedly.

"I, uh…"

"A romance worthy of Shakespeare, no doubt, if you were willing to traverse the perils of a crosstown journey to reunite with her," said Pricklepants.

Woody smiled at her. "Well Bo is pretty special."

There was a crashing sound from one of the board games, following by whooping. _"YEEEHAAAHHH! YOU KER-PLUNKED! I WIN! I WIN!"_

As Trixie and Pricklepants went over to look, Woody turned to Bo. Her lips were drawn together tightly. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing, Sweetie."

Woody furrowed his brow in concern. "Is the music too loud? Do you want me to change the station?"

"I don't have a problem with the music."

"Then what…" He was interrupted by a loud shrill whistle that made Bo flinch. Turning toward the sound, he could see Jessie standing in the middle of the party.

"What kinda 'Get-To-Know-Ya' party is this?" she said. _"You_ guys are playin' _Candyland_ over there, _you_ guys are playing _Memory_ over there, _we're_ playing _Ker-Plunk_ over here…What we need is one game for all of us to play together!"

Some of the toys began to murmur and nod in agreement. "What did you have in mind?" asked Buzz.

Jessie grinned. "Anybody here like cards?"

"Come on Jess, you know we do…"

"I'm thinkin' poker, Texas-Hold'em Style! Come on, let's have ourselves a tournament!"

The toys began to shuffle forward. "I'm in."

"I bet you didn't know that Texas-Hold-Em originated in Robstown, Texas in the early 1900's."

"I bet you didn't know I could care less…"

Woody slipped his arm around Bo. "See, doesn't that sound fun?" Bo didn't answer but made a small mumbling noise under her breath. "Come on, Honey. Let's go." Leading her, they joined the crowd. _Maybe she's just tired,_ Woody thought. _For the love of Pete, things were going so well earlier! What could possibly be…_

Buzz had fetched a deck and now Jessie was shuffling it at lightning speed. "Place yer bets!" she crowed. "No limits!"

"Jessie, be serious," said Woody. "What would we even bet with?"

The others began to turn and look at him. They stared, then they began to look at each other, squirming uncomfortably.

Woody looked back at them in confusion. "What?" What were they…Then it hit him. They weren't looking at him. They were looking at Bo.

Immediately, the stuffing in the pit of his stomach began to boil. His arm tightened protectively around Bo. _"WHAT?"_ he snapped, harsher than he intended. _"What is your guys' problem?"_

Buttercup hesitated, then spoke. "It's just that…you brought her over…"

" _AND?"_

"How's she gonna play poker if she can't see the cards?"

Woody felt as though he had been hit over the head with a very thick book. He didn't know whether to scream at Buttercup or kick himself in the pants for overlooking something so obvious.

Jessie went pale as she dropped the deck, horror contorting her face as cards splashed everywhere. "Bo…I didn't…I mean, I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay, Jessie," said Bo. "I know you didn't mean anything by it." She turned and began to walk away. "I'll just sit this one out."

Woody dropped his head and sighed. Then he heard Bo say quietly, "It wouldn't be the first time."

His head snapped up. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?" She didn't answer. Following her away from the group, he spoke in a low voice. "What's wrong?"

"Just go play cards, Woody."

"Not until you tell me what's bothering you!"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Well then how I am supposed to fix it?"

"I don't need you to fix it. I don't need anything. Just leave me alone. Please." And with that she turned her back.

"But…but I…" Woody stopped. "Fine. I'll leave you alone, Bo. That's what you want, you got it." Ducking his head down low, he began to make his way back to the group.

 _Gosh darn, how did things go so wrong? What did I even do?_ There was a crunch. Woody lifted up his boot. "Oh for the love of… _JESSIE!"_

Jessie had picked up the cards and was passing them out now but she stopped at the sound of her name. "What in tarnation are you yellin' for?"

He pointed to the ground by his feet. "Look at this mess! You left the _Ker-Plunk_ game out! Marbles and sticks everywhere!"

"So what? I'll clean it up before Bonnie gets home!"

Woody felt frustration begin to spill over. "You can't just leave this lying around!"

"Why not?"

"Because it's a hazard! What if Bo trips over it?"

Suddenly he was keenly aware of someone standing behind him. He turned. Bo was there, and she was looking deeply unhappy. "Stop yelling at her."

"But she…"

"I don't _need_ you to protect me," she said sharply. "I've gotten along just fine for three years without my eyes."

"But this is different!"

"How?"

" _Because you can't see what a mess she made!"_ As soon as the words flew out of Woody's mouth, he wanted to punch himself. There was an audible gasp from the toys behind him.

"Bo…I…I…" He faltered. "I'm sorry…" He reached out to touch her arm but she pulled it away.

Turning, she spoke in a low, bitter tone. "This is why I never told you."

"Told me what?"

"That I was being given away."

The words knocked the wind out of the Cowboy as if he'd been hit in the stomach. "You _knew?"_

"Of course I knew."

"You knew…and you never even said goodbye? What…I don't…I thought…" He was babbling like a moron but he didn't care. "I thought you loved me."

" _Oh for goodness sakes!"_ Bo burst out. "You think _that's_ the reason I didn't say anything?" With a heavy sigh she rubbed where her eyes once were. "I'm going back to my shelf. I think I can manage that much."

Woody's heart broke as he watched her make her way back to the cabinets and pull herself up onto a chair. Turning, he realized that all of Bonnie's toys were staring. They had witnessed the entire drama.

"What are you lookin' at?" he muttered. "Party's over." And with that, he went to Bonnie's bed to curl up under the covers until noon.


	19. Chapter 19

19:

* * *

It was nearly one in the morning when Woody slipped out from Bonnie's bed. He supposed that he and Bo both had had more than enough time to cool down. Even so, he stopped by Bonnie's bookshelf to grab something before heading to the cabinets.

As he grasped the legs of the chair to make his way up, he was startled by someone above him. "Hey coming through!"

"Potato Head?" The plastic spud hopped to the floor. "What are you doing? Were you just with Bo?" Woody narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You weren't being mean to her, were you?"

Potato Head waved him off. "Cool your horses, Cowboy. We were just talking."

Woody paused, gawking at him. _"Why?"_

"What do you mean 'why?'"

"I mean, why? You and Bo have never gotten along. Why would you…"

"Come off it, Woody. I may be cranky, but I'm not a monster. I do have feelings."

Woody rubbed his shoulder uncomfortably, looking away. "Yeah…I know…"

"Besides…" And at this he sat down. "I kinda get what she's going through. She ain't the only who's ever lost her eyes."

Woody growled. "Oh _come on,_ Potato Head! That's not the same thing!"

"Will you shut up and listen!" he snapped. With a sigh, Woody took a seat on the floor next to him. "Once, long time ago, when I was the toy box, my eyes fell out. Both of them. Hit the bottom so I couldn't see. It was only a couple of hours but until Andy opened the box in the mornin' and pulled them out, I was completely helpless. It was…a scary thing."

"But you got your eyes back."

"Exactly. I keep thinkin' if my experience was that frustratin' and that frightenin', imagine how she must feel not being able to get her eyes back at all."

Silently, Woody reflected on what he had just said. "Tin Man, I think you may have a heart after all."

"Don't you go tellin' nobody about what I said!" Potato Head snapped. "I don't wanna get a reputation as mushy!"

Woody smiled. Standing up, he patted Potato Head on the back. "Thanks, Spud. You've given me a lot to think about."

"Yeah, yeah. Just keep it to yourself."

* * *

Up on the shelf, Woody could see Bo sitting with her back turned, her arm resting on her flock. He sighed and opened his mouth.

"Woody," she said, not moving.

He blinked in surprise. "Yeah, but how did you…"

"Your spurs jingle when you walk."

Dumbfounded, he looked down at his boots. Then he looked at her. "Can…can we talk? Please?"

She finally turned, giving a small nod. Woody took a seat next to her. "I'm sorry about what I said."

"All right."

"But I still don't understand." He bent forward, clutching his knees as he did. "Why? Why didn't you tell me you were leaving? Why didn't you even say goodbye?" His voice began to crack. "I've spent…every day of the past five years blaming myself for not being there. For not being able to save you. Now I find out you kept it from me. What am I supposed to think?"

"Molly didn't want me." He looked at Bo. She was biting her bottom lip. "She hadn't wanted me for a long time. I knew…that if I told you, you would orchestrate some grandiose plan, just like you always do. That you'd try to rescue me."

"Of course I'd have tried to rescue you!" He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her towards him. "I love you!"

She lifted his hand, allowing it to cup her cheek. "But I _couldn't_ stay. Don't you understand? What was I supposed to do? Hide in the attic for the rest of my life? We're toys. It's our duty to go where we're needed."

"And you were needed elsewhere?"

She sighed. "I was…until the new baby I was supposed to watch over turned out to be a boy."

Woody frowned. "That doesn't seem right. You could've still…"

"Well, his mom didn't think I went with his new decor, so she put me on the yard sale table. And that's where Marcella found me." She was quiet for what seemed like forever.

Finally she spoke. "Maybe…maybe I was being selfish."

"What?"

"I didn't want you to stop me…but I also didn't want to have to say goodbye to you." A small, bitter smile began to play at the corners of her mouth. "Maybe this is my punishment for not being able to look you in the eye and give you the farewell you deserved. Now I'll never look you or anyone else in the eye ever again…"

She cried out in surprise as Woody suddenly grabbed her. _"Don't say that!"_ She blushed fiercely as he held her tightly to his chest. _"Don't ever say that!"_

Bo turned her face so it was buried. She inhaled deeply and then exhaled a quaking, broken breath. "Do you know what's one of the worst things about having no eyes, Cowboy? No tears."

"I don't like seeing you cry."

"Well sometimes you just gotta let it out…and then you can't." She touched her heart. "But it still hurts here."

"I don't want you to hurt. I don't want to cause you to hurt." Woody placed his chin on her bonnet. "You don't think we jumped back into this too quickly do you?"

"Do you?"

"I don't know. I want to be with you but then today…I really screwed up, didn't I?"

"It wasn't just you."

"I don't know what to do," he admitted. "I don't want to make a big deal out of you being blind but at the same time I can't just ignore the elephant in the room."

" _There's an elephant in here?"_

"What? No! I…" He turned to look at her. She was grinning. "Oh. Very funny."

Bo placed her hand on his knee. "The first step is to relax. Not be so self-conscious."

"Okay."

"The next thing is you've got to let me do things for myself. I figured out how to get around a long time ago and if I need help, I'll ask."

"Gotcha."

"Next…" And at this she frowned. "I don't want you yelling at anyone on my behalf. I don't want to be anyone's burden."

"You could never be anyone's burden!'

"Well that's not how people are going to feel if you keep blowing up like you did today with Jessie. 'Poor blind Bo! Better walk on eggshells around her or Woody's going to have a fit!'"

Woody sighed and hung his head. "You're right. I'm sorry. And I'll apologize to Jessie too."

"Good."

"Anything else?"

Bo paused, her brow creasing deeply as she frowned. "You know my ears work, right?"

"What are you talking about? Of course I know that."

"Maybe you could explain it to some of our friends."

"I don't understand. Our friends talked to you."

"No," said Bo. "They talked to _you._ About me. As if I weren't even there."

Woody thought back to earlier in the day and cringed. _"Ohhhh…"_

"I know they weren't trying to be mean. They were just…"

"Insensitive?"

Bo sighed. "Yes. Insensitive."

Woody nodded resolutely. "Well, from now on we'll definitely make sure that doesn't happen." He put his hand over hers, lightly massaging her fingers. "I just want you to be happy, Bo."

She tilted her chin upward, a smile on her lips. "You are a sweetheart."

Reaching next to him, Woody grabbed the thing he had brought from the bookshelf. He pressed it into her hands. "What's this?" She moved her fingers up and down the object. "A book? Paperback?"

"I thought you might like to hear a story. It's _The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe._ It's Bonnie's favorite, actually…" In a second he was being pinned to the shelf and kissed passionately. "Whoa there!"

"Do you how long it's been since I've read a book?" Bo said, grasping at his collar.

He grinned. Lifting his arm, he allowed her to snuggle underneath as he opened to the first page. _"'Chapter One: Lucy Looks Into A Wardrobe. Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy…'"_


	20. Chapter 20

20:

* * *

The next week was one of the happiest in Woody's memory. It was like Bo had never been out of his life at all. She was fun, flirty, insightful, all the things he had fallen in love with more than a decade ago.

One night as they lay together in the garden, the inescapable scent of flowers all around them, Woody found himself staring up at the moon. An idea suddenly wriggled into his brain and he marveled that he hadn't thought of it sooner.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Bo suddenly said. As usual she had commandeered his chest as her personal pillow. Her bare porcelain was cool and silky under his arm and even in partial moonlight she looked magnificent.

Woody hesitated. Should he…No, he would, but he needed a little more time. "Just thinking about how gorgeous you are."

She laughed, and it was music to Woody's ears. "From what I remember you're not so bad yourself, Sugar." Pulling herself up, she lay a soft kiss on his lips.

 _Tomorrow…_

* * *

It was the next day when Buzz found Woody in the Anderson living room. "There you are." He pulled himself up onto the couch and sat next to his best friend. "Where have you been all morning?"

"Sorry, had to do some…research."

"Research?" Woody held out a miniature calendar with pink flowers on the front for the Ranger to see. "That's Mom's planner."

"Right. I wanted to see when's the next time the family's going out of town. I'm in luck. It turns out the Festival of Roses is coming up after Labor Day. Looks like they're planning to drive to Wasco for a three day weekend."

"Wasco…" Buzz repeated. "Well I guess we might have the place to ourselves. But why the sudden interest?"

Woody shut the planner. "If I'm going to ask Bo to marry me, I want to have the perfect day picked out for the wedding..."

There was a loud clunk and Woody looked over. Buzz had fallen off the couch. "Are you all right?"

He stood up and shook his head. "I'm fine." Grasping the fabric, he climbed back up and sat back down. "I hope you don't spring it on her like that."

Woody smiled wryly. "Don't worry. Actually I was thinking about asking her tonight."

"This is happening so fast."

"I wasted a lot of years, Buzz. Well, no more. I don't want to lose any more time. By the way," he looked at Buzz. "There is something I want to ask you. Might want to hold onto the couch for this one, Ranger."

"Go for it."

"Would you be my Best Man?"

Buzz drew himself up proudly. "It would be an honor."

"Heh, I figured you'd say that." Woody set aside the planner and sat back. "Who've have thought all those years ago when you showed up on Andy's bed, you'd be the one I'd someday be asking to be my Best Man?"

"Who would've thought you'd finally get married?" Buzz shook his head with a smile. "How long _has_ it been?"

"Let's see…Thirteen years. This month actually."

Buzz took a moment to reflect. "When did we get old?"

Woody eyed him. "What do you mean 'we'? I was old when I met you."

"That's right. You're a senior citizen aren't you?"

Woody rolled his eyes and gave him a playful push on the shoulder. Then he sighed. "It's been a wild ride this life has."

Buzz looked thoughtful as he clasped his hands and leaned forward. "It's been worth it though."

"It has, hasn't it?" Woody gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks for taking it with me."

"Thank _you,_ Woody."

There was a long pause. "You know, if Bo and I are tying the knot, you might wanna think about making an honest woman of Jessie yourself."

Buzz turned red and laughed awkwardly. "Well that's…"

Woody grinned slyly. "Well she is my sister after all. I do have to look out for her best interests."

"She'd kill you if she heard you talking like that."

"Probably. But don't be surprised if she starts thinking of wedding bells."

Buzz smirked. "Don't be surprised if I start thinking of them too."


	21. Chapter 21

21:

* * *

All was quiet in the Anderson household. Woody held Bo's hand as they walked into the living room together, but his mind was racing and his knees felt even floppier than usual. _Okay, deep breath, Woody. Deeeep breath. All you gotta do is say four little words. That's not so hard…_ Rubbing his hand over his face, he swallowed. It felt like he had a golf ball in his throat.

"Honey?"

His voice cracked as he answered. "Y-yes?"

"What's the matter? You're not talking and your hand is trembling."

"Nothing's the matter! Really!"

She raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Hmmm…"

Bonnie's small table where she colored and played was under the window. Leading her to it, he helped her climb on top and to the sill. "So where we are going?"

"Just to the front window. I…just want to be able to see you as best I can."

She paused in front of the glass. "Moon out tonight?"

"Yeah. It's a quarter moon."

Bo sighed. "I miss the moon. Sometimes like on nights like this I can picture it as clearly as if my eyes were still there." She paused, then began to sing softly, _"I see the Moon and the Moon sees me. And the Moon sees the one that I can't see. God Bless the Moon and God Bless me…"_ She turned, and holding out her hand to him, offered Woody a smile. " _And God Bless the one that I can't see."_

Woody stared at her for a moment as if he'd been struck, his breath caught in his throat. Then he dropped to his knees.

"Woody?" She reached down and touched his face. "What are you doing? Are you kneeling?"

"Bo, you are…the light of my life…" He knew she couldn't see but he took off his hat anyway and held it to his chest. "I want to spend every day with you beside me."

"What… _Oh."_ Bo put a hand to her mouth. "Oh my…"

"Little Bo Peep, would you do me the great honor of…" Before he could even finish he was being pinned to the sill as he was hugged and kissed.

"Yes!" she cried between each kiss. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

With a huge grin, Woody wrapped his arms around her. "Oh Bo, I swear I'll make you the happiest doll on Earth! We'll have six children!"

"Six? Oh a dozen at least…"

There was a scream and a crash. Bonnie's toys had fallen from behind the archway and were now all tangled up in a heap on the living room floor. Woody looked at them exasperated. _"Really, Guys?"_

"Woody, what's going on?"

He sat up and grabbed his hat. "We've got company, that's what."

Trixie was upside in the pile and she kicked her legs in the air in excitement. "I knew you two would get married! _I knew it I knew it I knew it…"_

"Oh come on, we all knew she was gonna say yes…" Potato Head said underneath her.

Woody, now standing, crossed his arms. "And how did you all find out I was proposing, _Buzz?"_

Buzz smiled sheepishly. "I, uh, may have asked Jessie what the duties of a Best Man entailed and she inferred it from there and…"

Jessie jumped out of the pile. _"Inferred inshmered!"_ she shouted. "Y'all shoulda tied the knot twenty years ago!"

"We haven't even known each other for twenty years."

Jessie was climbing on the table and then onto the sill, Buzz behind her. She shook Woody's hand so hard he thought it might pop off and bear hugged Bo so that her feet left the ledge. Buzz for his part gave Woody a gentler, yet still firm handshake. "Congratulations."

"Thanks, Pal."

"All right," Shakes was standing with Dolly behind the pile of toys. "You've all had your fun. Back to the bedroom."

"She's right," said Dolly. "Let's give them some privacy."

"Privacy…" Hamm said slyly as he rolled to his feet. "Shouldn't they save that for the honeymoon?"

On the windowsill, Jessie whooped. "Too late!"

" _OUT!"_ shouted Woody, pointing to the archway. Jessie grinned and leaped off the sill, not even bothering to land on the table first. Buzz saluted then somersaulted after her.

As Woody watched the toys shuffle out of the room, he felt Bo's arms reach up and encircle his neck. He looked down to where she was now resting her cheek on his shoulder. "Do you…remember how we used to twist the Oreo cookies and make wishes?"

"Yeah," he said, putting his arm around her back and pulling her close. "You would never tell me your wish."

"Well Cowboy, I can tell you now," she whispered. "Because tonight it finally came true."

And in the moonlight, he kissed her.


	22. Chapter 22

22:

* * *

It was about three days later. Bonnie had left Woody on the couch in the morning before school. He knew he should get up and go back to the bedroom, but he was so tired from the night before. What harm would it do to close his eyes for a few minutes…

He had just started to drift away when a loud voice dropkicked him back into the waking world. "C'mon a bachelorette party would be fun!"

"Well, maybe just a quiet get-together with all us girls. You, me, Dolly, Mrs. Potato Head, Trixie, Pretty Kitty and Shakes…"

Woody rolled over so he could see. Jessie and Bo were walking through the living room archway to the couch. Jessie hadn't noticed him and for a moment he contemplated calling out to make his presence known.

"So no strippers?" Jessie joked.

"I don't think I'd have any use for them." Bo stopped below the sofa where Bonnie's Mom kept her sewing basket. "This is it?"

"Yeah." As Bo opened the lid, Jessie peered inside. "You sure you can still knit?"

"As long as I can feel, I can knit. I just need you to tell me what colors there are. Any pink?"

"No. There's red though."

"Hmm. How about blue?"

"Yep, there's a dark blue."

Bo smiled. "Perfect." Reaching in, Jessie pulled out an unruly navy colored skein. Handing it to Bo, she dove in again and pulled out two knitting needles.

"So whatcha doin' about your dress?"

"I don't know, Jessie. It just feels like a wedding dress would be almost pointless." Bo shifted the skein to under her arm. "After all, I won't even be able to see how I look."

"Yeah, but that don't matter. It's your day! You should do everythin' you ever dreamed of, regardless!"

Bo didn't answer, but seemed to be contemplating her words.

Jessie took off her hat. Crossing the knitting needles, she stuck them in her hair. "Guess what I'm doin' right now?"

"What?"

Jessie bent her head down so Bo could feel the top. "I'm an alien! _Nanu nanu!"_

Bo laughed. Jessie pulled the knitting needles out of her hair. Reaching back into the sewing basket, she emerged with something white and gauzy. She placed it on Bo's head.

Bo ran her fingers up and down the fabric. "What's this?"

"It's a window sheer thingy. It's been in there for months. It's got a tear on the bottom but I thought maybe if we…you shortened it, it might make a purdy nice veil."

Bo reached out and pulled Jessie in for a hug. "I think that's a wonderful idea."

After a moment, the two separated. Linking arms, they began to walk to the archway. "Of course, if I wear a wedding gown, you have to wear a pink bridesmaid dress."

"Okay, but how will you even know?"

"I'll have my sources."

On the couch, Woody rotated to his backside. Tipping his hat over his face, he closed his eyes again, this time with a smile…

"Oh and have a good nap, Sweetie."

Startled, Woody sat straight up. Bo hadn't even turned but Jessie whipped around. Seeing him for the first time, her bottle green eyes widened with astonishment.

" _SPY!"_ she shouted, pointing at him. Bo just laughed and pulled Jessie after her.


	23. Chapter 23

23:

* * *

Labor Day came and went and with it came the beginning of September. The Andersons began to plan for the four hour drive to Wasco. At night, Bonnie hid under her covers with a flashlight and talked in whispers to her toys everything the family did on the trip, from touring the rose fields to the big annual pancake breakfast. It almost made Woody wish that they could go too. Almost.

Early Friday morning, the family car was loaded, Moocher's food and water bowls were filled, and by six AM the Andersons were gone.

Woody stood at the living room window and watched the green van disappear down the road. "All clear?" Buzz said behind him. Woody nodded.

"Yeah. For the next seventy-two hours, we're free. Except when Mason's Dad comes to give the cat his dinner at six, but that'll only be about ten minutes at the most."

Buttercup and Hamm were seated on the sill. "So tomorrow's the big day, huh?" said Hamm.

Woody was looking out the window again to the garden. "Yeah. Yeah it is."

"Wedding tomorrow," said Buttercup, nudging Hamm with a grin. "Bachelor party tonight!"

Woody frowned. "I didn't agree to that."

"The girls are having a bachelorette party!"

"No, they're having a get-together," said Buzz, seating himself on the ledge and letting his legs dangle.

"Eh, _to-mato, tah-mato,"_ said Hamm. "If they get to do their thing, we should get to do ours!"

Buzz looked up at Woody who was towering over him. "He does have a point."

Woody sighed, resigned. "All right. You guys wanna do a bachelor party, fine. But I don't wanna go crazy."

"Come on!" Buttercup grinned. "How crazy could we get?" Turning to Hamm, he said, "I know where Dad keeps the key to the liquor cabinet. You get Slinky and meet me in…"

" _Not on your sparkly plush life!"_ Woody shouted, his face turning red.

"Relax, Cowboy," Buttercup laughed. "I'm _joking._ Dad doesn't even have a liquor cabinet."

"That's right," said Buzz. "He keeps his beers in the bottom of the fridge where anyone can get them." Woody just ran a hand over his face and groaned.

* * *

At nine after six, after Mason's father's had fed Moocher and left, Woody found himself standing at the door to Bonnie's bedroom with Bo. "This wasn't my idea, just so you know," he grumbled.

"Oh don't be such a stick in the mud! Go! Have some fun with your friends!" Suddenly with a naughty smile she latched him around the neck with her crook and dragged him close so that they were face to face. "Because tomorrow night…"

She didn't finish her sentence because Woody had started to laugh, embarrassed. "Uh, the guys are nearby."

"I know. I can hear them." She unlatched her crook, allowing him to stand up straight. "Have a good night, Sugar."

Suddenly a throng of toys, all male, ran up behind him. Totoro grabbed Woody by the torso and lifted him into the air. "Hey!" Woody complained. "Guys, that's not really necessary!"

"But it is tradition!" said Hamm.

"Say adieu to your Lady," said Pricklepants. "For tonight, we make merry revelry!" And with that they carried the protesting Cowboy out the door.

* * *

In the living room, Woody was finally let down. "Okay," he said, straightening his hat. "We're here. What do you _'Animal House'_ rejects got planned?"

They looked at each other then at Buzz. "What?" he said, confused.

"You're the Best Man," said Snowball. "Bachelor Party planning is your responsibility."

"What? No one told me that! I thought I just had to hold the ring and make a toast!"

"Well we could start with some music," suggested Rex.

Slinky jumped to the top of the stereo where the CDs were kept. "Huh, nuthin' here but _Riverdance_ and Lyle Lovett. They must keep the rest on their MP3 players or somethin'."

"Uh, I don't mind Lyle Lovett," said Woody.

Hamm pushed through the crowd, Potato Head and Buttercup behind him. "Not to worry. As usual ol' Hamm's got it all figured out."

"What do you mean _as usual?"_ said Woody crossly.

"Yeah and it was _my_ idea," said Buttercup, giving the Piggy Bank a push.

"But I found it!"

"Found what?"

"The list of 'The 101 Most Manly Movies for Manly Man Who Are Manly!' No need to thank me!"

"Good."

"We figured it's a bachelor party, we should watch something testosterone fueled!" said Buttercup. "Something really macho!"

Potato Head was holding a few sheets of printed off paper and he began to read. _"'Fight Club…'"_

"No," said Woody sourly.

"' _Conan the Barbarian…'"_

"No."

"' _Rambo', 'Robocop', 'Rocky', 'Rocky II', 'Rocky III', 'Rock-'"_

"Give me that!" Woody snatched the list from Potato Head and looked it over. "Did Jessie write this list?"

"It doesn't matter," Buzz was looking over the Andersons' DVD collection. "The family doesn't own any of those movies anyway."

"Well what _do_ they own?" asked Okie.

Buzz reached in and pulled out a DVD. "They've got _'Planet of the Apes.'"_

Woody frowned. "But that's science-fiction and I hate…" The others stared at him and he sighed deeply. "Fine. _'Planet of the Apes'_ it is."

* * *

Buzz made a bag of popcorn and carried it to the living room over his head. Settling on the sofa between Woody and Slink, he tore open the top and sat back.

"That Linda Harrison was quite a babe," said Hamm, leaning over Slinky to grab some popcorn.

"Hamm!"

"What?" He shoved the greasy kernels into his mouth. "We're all thinking it."

"Nah, not Woody's type," cracked Potato Head. "He likes blondes."

Woody scowled and slunk down in his seat. "That's not true. I don't have a type."

"Yeah, look at who you're marrying!"

"That's not because she's…"

"Come on, you guys!" Stańczyk said irritably at the end of the sofa. "I'm trying to watch the movie!"

Buttercup grinned. "And what about you, Clown Boy?"

"I'm a jester, thank you."

"You got a type? You like…stripes?"

Stańczyk looked at him. "If you have something to say, just say it."

"You and Shakes," said Potato Head. "You're awfully close."

"Well of course we're close! She's my best friend!" Then a bit quieter he added, "Pass me some of that popcorn."

Potato Head grabbed the bag and extended it to Stańczyk. "Just best friends?"

Stańczyk frowned as he took the bag. "I know what you're implying. We're not like that."

"But you could be," Buzz said.

"Ah, there is nothing more classic than the seed of deep friendship that blossoms into the flower of true love!" said Pricklepants.

"That's not us though," said Stańczyk. "I don't feel that way about her. She's more like…like…"

"A sister?" finished Woody.

Stańczyk blinked in surprise. "I guess."

Woody smiled knowingly. "I know exactly how you feel." And with that they settled in to watch the rest of the film.


	24. Chapter 24

24:

* * *

The next morning in Bonnie's bed Woody was awakened by a face an inch away from his. _"Gooood mornin'!"_

He jumped. "Jessie, for the love of…"

Jessie grinned and fell back on her haunches. "Rise and shine, Sheriff Groom! You got a weddin' to attend!"

Woody groaned as he stared at her groggily. "Shouldn't you be helping Bo?"

"She's with Shakes and Dolly right now! I volunteered to get you up!"

"Well aren't you selfless."

"I am purdy great!" Jumping to her feet, Jessie grabbed Woody and pulled him up. "Come on, you old Molasses Slowpoke! Let's get you hitched!"

Woody just barely managed to snatch his hat as she dragged him. "Slow down! We've got three hours!"

* * *

In the garden, Okie was hanging white Christmas lights on the bushes by the porch. "You don't reckon' it's a mite risky to be doin' this outside durin' daylight hours?" he asked.

Slinky had a strand of lights in his mouth. He and Totoro were hanging lights on the other bushes next to him. "We got the fence, so no one'll see."

Okie stood up. "I think that's it. We're ready, Captain Lightyear!"

Buzz was standing on the porch railing above their head. "You can just call me Buzz." Grinning, Totoro threw the end of the Christmas lights to him. Leaping down, he plugged the strand in an outlet on the other side.

On the bushes the lights came to life. _"Oooh…"_

Buzz climbed down the porch steps to look. "Excellent work, Team!"

The screen door opened and Woody walked down the stairs, pulling on a makeshift black vest. "Buzz, what should I do with my hat…Oh wow!" he said, seeing the lights. "You guys! This looks amazing!"

"Aw thanks, Woody! It's the least we could do!"

Buzz turned to him. "You were saying?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah. During the wedding, do you think I should leave my hat on or take it off?"

"Do ya think it really matters?" asked Okie. "She ain't marryin' your hat."

"I know, but…"

The door creaked open and Dolly stuck her head out. "Hey Woody, wanna step inside for a second?"

Woody looked at Buzz, who just shrugged. "Yeah, okay."

* * *

Inside the hall, Woody asked, "Is everything all right?"

"Everything's fine, Cowboy. Bo's asking for you."

"For me? But we're not supposed to see each other before the wedding!"

"She doesn't strike me as the kind of girl who sticks to tradition just for the sake of sticking to it, Sheriff."

"Well that's true," Woody conceded as he followed her.

As they walked to the backroom where Bonnie's Mom kept her sewing machine, Woody rubbed his shoulder awkwardly. "Dolly?"

"Hmm?"

"You remember when me and the other guys first got here, don't you?"

"Like it was two years ago," she joked.

"I mean, you remember the rumors that got started right? About…"

She turned. "About you and me? Yeah I remember. Nothing came of it. You weren't interested in me that way."

"I know. But I just wanted to know, were they ever true…about you, I mean…"

Dolly turned and gave him a wry smile as she walked backwards. "Sorry Sheriff, but you're not my type."

Woody frowned. "I'm not sure whether I should find that insulting or not."

"No you don't get it," she said, walking forward again. _"You're_ not my type. _Buzz_ isn't my type either. _Pricklepants_ isn't my type. _Hamm_ isn't my type."

"I don't think Hamm is anyone's type."

"Think, Woody. What do you all have in common?"

They were at the backroom and Woody paused. "Well…nothing. Nothing except we're all gu…" Something clicked in his mind. _"Ohhhh…"_

"Bingo." Dolly pushed open the door. "Go get her, Cowboy."

* * *

As soon as Woody stepped inside, something cloth was wrapped around his eyes from behind. "Hey! What in the…"

"You can't see her before the weddin'!" he heard Jessie shout.

"Then why was I brought here?"

"I wanted to talk to you." He stopped struggling against Jessie long enough for her to finally tie the blindfold in place. "Bo?"

A porcelain hand slipped into his. "Sorry about this, Sugar. But she insisted."

"Right. She just wanted to blindfold me, didn't she?"

"I'm the bridesmaid and I'm in charge of making sure no bad luck comes to ya!"

"Jessie, could you give us a moment?"

There was the sound of boots clicking and then the door creaked closed. Woody turned. "Now what's…" He was cut off by lips pressing against his.

After about ten seconds, she stopped kissing him and giggled. "How are you doing?" she whispered. "Nervous?"

"Who me? Nah," he said. "How about you?"

"No." She lifted his hand and he could feel the cool touch of her cheek. Her lips lightly caressed his knuckles. "I'm happy."

He took a deep breath, savoring the sensation of her touch. "By some miracle we got another chance, Bo. I don't want to waste another second."

"Well then," she said. "Let's get married."

He couldn't help but laugh. "Let's get married." Bending down, he tried to kiss her lips but met the underside of her nose instead. "Whoops."

"Don't worry, you'll have plenty of time to practice."

Behind them the door opened and Buzz's voice could be heard. "I'm sorry to interrupt but everyone's outside already. I think it's best we get started."

"Right," Woody squeezed Bo's hand. "See you soon."

* * *

As he exited the sewing room, Woody fumbled for the blindfold. "Dangnabit she tied this tight!"

"Oh hold still, you weddin' weenie!" Behind him he felt the knot untie. The cloth slipped from his eyes.

Buzz and Jessie stood together. Buzz had made himself a little black tie and taped it to his chest plate. Meanwhile, Jessie was wearing a cotton candy colored dress pulled over her usual outfit. Her hat was nowhere to be seen.

"Well," Woody said to them. "Let's get this show on the road,"

As the trio walked down the hall, Woody in front, Buzz said to Jessie, "I, uh, like your dress."

"Meh," Jessie shrugged. "It's for Bo."

"I know you're not a 'dress girl', but I still think it was nice of you to dress up."

"Yeah, well…" And at this Jessie grinned. "You can help me take it off later." Giggling she ran to the front door. "Giddy up, Boys! This day's been a long time comin'!"


	25. Chapter 25

25:

* * *

Outside some of the toys had stacked a few of Bonnie's cardboard blocks in front of the bushes and now Pricklepants stood on top, nearly at eyelevel with Woody. Buzz was beside him. "Good luck, Sheriff."

"Thanks."

"The Lady approaches!" Pricklepants suddenly called.

Every toy turned to the porch. Jessie was guiding Bo down the steps. They each were holding a small bouquet of purple geraniums and Jessie had tucked a flower into her hair. At the bottom, they turned the corner to the side of the house. Jessie let go of Bo's waist. "Got it from here?"

"Yes, thank you." With a quick hug, Jessie took her place in front. They began to walk slowly…

As they approached, Woody took a moment to marvel on how wonderful Bo looked. Her dress was a simple design, with an A-line skirt and short sleeves. Still, she looked absolutely…

Suddenly she stumbled. A gasp went out through the crowd of toys. Instinctively Woody began to rush forward…

Straightening up, Bo shook her head and continued. As she reached him, he whispered, "Are you all right?"

"Never better." Joining her arm through his, they turned to face Pricklepants.

On top of the block, Pricklepants sighed deeply. "Ah, is there anything more magnificent, more miraculous than true love?" Bo beamed at Woody. In turn he gave her hand a squeeze. "In honor of this momentous occasion, I would like to recite the famed love sonnet _'Love Will Find out the Way.'"_

"I love poetry," said Bo softly.

Pricklepants cleared his throat loudly then began to recite:

"' _Over the mountains and over the waves,_

 _Under the fountains and under the graves;_

 _Under floods that are deepest, which Neptune obey,_

 _Over rocks that are steepest, Love will find out the way.'"_

Woody smiled. "That was real nice, Pricklepants…"

"' _When there is no place for the glow-worm to lie!'"_ Pricklepants boomed. Woody looked at Bo and shrugged.

The Hedgehog continued to recite, gesticulating dramatically as he spoke:

"' _When there is no space, for receipt of a fly;_

 _When the midge dares not venture, lest herself fast she lay,_

 _If love come, he will enter, and will find out the way!'"_

Bo paused. "That was…lovely, Mr. Pricklepants…"

"' _YOU MAY ESTEEM HIM A CHILD FOR HIS MIGHT,_

 _OR YOU MAY DEEM HIM A COWARD FOR HIS FLIGHT…'"_

" _Pricklepants!"_ He stopped performing. Woody looked exasperated. "Would it be okay if we got married?"

"But of course. That is why we are here, is it not?" Woody rolled his eyes. Pricklepants drew himself up gallantly as he spoke.

"Do you, Sheriff Woody Pride, take this woman to be your wedded wife from this day forward?"

"I do."

"And do you, Little Bo Peep, take this man to be your wedded husband from this day forward?"

"I do."

"Then I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the…" Without waiting for him to finish, Bo wrapped her arms around Woody's neck and pulled the startled Cowboy down to her level. Pricklepants coughed. "Well then."

Jessie threw her bouquet into the air as she slapped her knee. _"YEEEHAH!"_

"Easy there!" said Hamm, barely ducking out of the way as the bouquet landed. "Throwing flowers is the bride's job!"

Jessie grinned. "Well, she's a little busy."

With amused smiles the toys watched the two continue to kiss, oblivious to the rest of the world. "Who wants to make a bet how long they'll go for?" said Buttercup.

"All day if we let them," Hamm answered.

Rex twisted his claws as he bit his lower lip. "Maybe we should give them some privacy."

Jessie cupped her hands over her mouth and bellowed. _"Hey, Bogie! Bacall! You two gonna smooch all day?"_

Woody and Bo jumped, blushing and laughing as they did. With a smile, Buzz walked over, giving Woody a handshake.

"Come on, Sheriff. We don't have cake, but there are cookies."

Woody linked his arm through Bo's. "Well, Mrs. Pride? Whaddya say?"

"I say cookies sound wonderful, Sheriff Pride." She shrieked in delight as Woody scooped her up into his arms.

"Okay everyone! Let's celebrate inside!"


	26. Chapter 26

26:

* * *

Much of the rest of the morning was spent dancing to internet radio and shaking the limbs of congratulatory toys. When that was done, the two retired to the couch in the living room where Buzz had pulled out the Wii. For the next several hours Bo rested against Woody and they talked quietly, enjoying each other's company as Jessie challenged everyone to boxing and then bowling.

Finally, as Jessie got bored again and switched over to fishing, Woody looked out the window. "Honey, the sun's going down."

"It does feel like that time."

"Wanna call it a night?"

Bo smiled slyly. "Well, not entirely…"

Woody laughed sheepishly. Standing up, he stretched then walked to the edge of the cushion. Down below Jessie was whipping the remote back and forth as Buzz stood beside her watching her progress. "Come on, Cowgirl needs a King of the Pond…"

"Guys," he called. "We're kind of tired so we're gonna hit the hay all right?"

" _OOOOOH…"_

Woody yanked his hat down to hide his red face. _"Shut up!"_

Behind him Bo stood, balancing delicately on the overstuffed cushion as she laughed. "Some things never change."

Woody climbed down to the floor, then watched Bo descend after him, still holding her bouquet in one hand. "You good?"

"Of course."

With a smile he picked her up, cradling her in his arms. "Well then, shall we?"

"Just a second, Sugar. Turn me towards the TV." As he obliged, Bo called out, "Hey, Jessie!" The Cowgirl turned. "Catch!"

The Wii remote clattered to the floor as Bo's bouquet landed in her hands. As Woody carried her out of the living room archway, Bo waved over his shoulder with a mischievous grin. "Good luck, Buzz!"

* * *

"That was a pretty good throw," Woody complimented as he carried her down the hall.

"Well whenever she gets excited about scoring she yells and stomps her feet so it wasn't exactly hard to pin down where she was standing."

Woody grinned. "I wish you could have seen the look on her face. Buzz's too. Priceless."

"I imagine they'll have a lot to talk about," said Bo, craning backward so her face was toward him. She patted his cheek. "But tonight I want to focus on you."

They were at the master bedroom now and Woody pushed open the door with his shoulder. "Here we are. The Honeymoon Suite."

As he gently placed her on the floor, she turned and embraced him, placing light kisses up and down his jawline. In response he placed his arms around her hourglass waist and sighed, for once his anxious mind completely at peace. "Would it be too corny for me to talk about fate?"

"Mmm, I don't mind."

"Something…something brought back together, Bo." He held her tighter. "Something's giving us a second chance, whether it's fate, or destiny, or whatever you wanna call it, it led us back together."

Bo stopped kissing him and placed her head on his shoulder. In a low voice she murmured, "Back with you, with all our friends, with an owner who loves me, it's everything I could ever want." She paused, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Almost."

Woody pulled her closer. "Bo…"

"It's okay. I've learned to accept it. I just wish that tonight, if only for tonight, I could see you." Her tiny white hand reached up and touched his cheek. It traveled across his face, her fingers caressing his eyes, curving around his nose, and brushing his mouth. "Of course," she said with a smile. "You're still the cutest Cowboy I've ever come across."

Woody let her continue to touch his face for a few more seconds before saying softly, "You do see me."

"What?"

"Bo, you've always seen me. Better than anyone. Even when I was at my worst, you still saw the good in me. You always believed I could be a better toy, a better man, a better friend. You never gave up on me. And for that, I'll always love you."

"Oh Woody…"

"' _I see the moon, and she sees me.'"_ Woody caught her hand, pressing the back to his lips. "Come on, Bo. Let's go to bed."

* * *

The next morning dawned bright and sunny. Woody was smiling before he even opened his eyes. As he did, he could see bright yellow hair peeking out from under the bamboo comforter next to him. Leaning over he placed a kiss on top.

The comforter slipped down and Bo's face appeared atop the blanket. "Good morning, Sheriff Pride."

"Good morning, Mrs. Pride." He went to kiss her lips…

" _I WANNA WATCH CARTOONS!"_ screamed a voice. Woody and Bo both jumped. Clomping footsteps reverberated down the hallway.

" _SLOW DOWN!"_

" _JESSIE, WAIT FOR US!"_

Woody groaned and fell back. Bo smiled. "Isn't it wonderful? Married less than a day and we're already hearing the pitter-patter of little feet!"

There was a crash. With a glare Woody sat up. Crawling out on his knees, he said, "I'm gonna go make those guys quiet down…"

Bo caught his arm. "Come on, Woody! Stay here with me!" She play pouted. "Please?"

For a moment he considered it. He was about to climb back under the covers when there was another crash. "Sorry Honey, duty calls." He gave her a peck on the forehead. "I'll be as quick as a jackalope."

Folding her arms she leaned back against the pillow. "You better."

* * *

In the living room, Woody found Jessie bouncing on the sofa. Buzz, Bullseye, Trixie, and Rex were with her. "Guys! Hey!" At the sound of his voice, they turned and looked at him. "I know the family won't be back until later tonight but it's still Sunday morning and people are still trying to…"

Suddenly Jessie let out a scream that made Woody nearly jump half a foot in the air. _"WHAT? WHAT? For the love of Pete, what?"_

She pointed at him. "You're naked!"

He stared at her dumbfounded. "I am not!"

"Yes you are!"

"Jessie you know darn well my clothes are sewn on my body!" he snapped. "I am _not_ naked!"

Jessie grinned slyly and he instantly knew he was in for it. "You just woke up from your weddin' night, _right?"_

He gave her a look. "Yeah…"

"So," she said. "You're naked!"

" _I am not naked!"_

Trixie shrieked. "Woody's naked!"

" _I am not!"_

Bullseye hid his face behind his hooves as Rex waved his arms frantically. "Oh the indecency! Can someone cover my eyes?"

" _Cut it out!"_ Woody shouted, red blush covering his entire face. _"Buzz, say something!"_

Buzz was sitting in the corner of the sofa. He looked at Woody, then paused. "Woody?"

"What?"

"Go put on some pants."

Woody sputtered. Then with a growl he turned and stalked out of the living room.

* * *

Back in the bedroom an irritated Woody flopped down next to Bo. "Welcome back."

"You won't believe those guys! I go out there and they start all accusing me of being naked!"

"Naked?"

"Yes, naked!" He folded his arms and grumbled, "I am _not_ naked…"

Bo rolled over. "Wanna know one of the good things about being blind, Sheriff?"

"There are good things?"

"Just listen. I can't see you, so I get to make up how you look in my mind. Any way I want."

Woody mulled this over. "Can I look like Gene Kelly?"

"No. I can imagine you the way I want to and right now," she grinned at him. "I'm imagining you naked."

As she crawled up onto his chest, he laughed. Then he got serious. "Okay, but I'm not really naked, just so you know…"

"Oh shush…" She leaned in to kiss him.

Booming music began to blast from the living room. _"SO STICK WITH US 'CAUSE PHINEAS AND FERB ARE GONNA DO IT ALL! SO STICK WITH US 'CAUSE PHINEAS AND FERB…"_

Woody growled and started to sit up. "Oh no you don't!" Bo pushed his head back onto the pillow and pinned him with her lips.

Giving in, the Cowboy wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back.


	27. Chapter 27

27:

* * *

As the next week passed things settled into a comfortable groove. Life as husband and wife, Woody found, wasn't really all that different than it had been for him and Bo before. Privately he speculated to himself that the ceremony had been simply that, a ceremony, and perhaps he and Bo had been already been married in their hearts for years. Still he was glad that they had made things official. Well as official as two toys married by a poetry spouting Steiff hedgehog _could_ make it anyway.

It was now a Saturday and Bonnie was in the bedroom playing with her toys. "Look out, Woody! It's the Witch!"

Cackling, she waved Dolly over Woody's head. _"'You wouldn't eat my Turkish Delights so I'm going to turn you to stone!'"_

"' _You'll never get away with this!'"_

"' _Too late! Poof! You're stoned!'"_

Bo was standing on the wicker toy chest. Reaching up to grab her, Bonnie made her hover gracefully over Woody. _"'I am the Witch's twin sister, the Pink Fairy! I will save you with a kiss! Mwah! There, you're free!'"_

"' _Augh! Curse you, Pink Fairy Sister!'"_

Bonnie's mom had been watching from the door. Now with a smile she entered and sat down on the floor, crossing her legs. _"Oof._ Hey there, Trouble! Having fun?"

Bonnie nodded eagerly. "Woody and Bullseye were going to the rodeo but they got lost in the woods and then the Scary Witch came and tried to trick them but Woody's too smart so she cursed him then the Pink Fairy rescued him with a kiss…"

Bonnie's mother listened in amusement as she prattled on, picking up various toys and looking them over. "Oh really? And now what?"

Bonnie held up Bo for her to see. "Now the Pink Fairy is going to take Woody and Bullseye to the rodeo herself so she can cheer them on! They're finalists!"

Bonnie's mother frowned. "Bonnie, let me see that doll for a second." She took Bo, examining her. "Where did you get this toy?"

"From Santa. He gave a bunch of toys to look after because I love toys."

She smiled. "Oh did he now?"

"Really Mom! He gave me a special mission!"

"All right. It's just that this poor thing looks like she's seen better days. She doesn't even have any eyes."

Woody was lying on the floor now and his stomach tightened at these words. Surely Mom wouldn't…Not after everything…

Bonnie frowned. "But Mom I love her."

"Well she could use a good cleaning, a paint touch up, I bet we could even get her eyes fixed…"

"I could do it!" Bonnie cried. "I'm going to be the greatest toy fixer in the world! I've watched videos! I'll take care of her! Do we have a chemical sponge?"

Her mother rubbed her hair affectionately. "Sorry Hon, but I think this is going to require a grownup's help." Bonnie pouted. "And I know just who to call." She stood, handing Bo back to Bonnie.

"Who?"

"You know little J.J. from daycare?"

Bonnie grimaced. "Ew, J.J. sticks things up his nose."

"Well J.J.'s mom does doll repair. I'll give Sunshine Miller a call after dinner and see if she can help out. Speaking of dinner…" She held out her hand to Bonnie, who placed Bo carefully on the floor and stood up.

"See you later Toys! Win a prize at the rodeo, Woody!" Bonnie called over her shoulder as they left the room.

As the door closed, Woody came to life. Gently he helped Bo to her feet. "Bo isn't that amazing?" He placed his hands on her shoulders. "You're going to get fixed! You'll have your sight back!"

Bo shook her head pensively. Grasping Woody's hand, she said, "Woody, there's no guarantee."

"What do you mean? Mom said she's going to call and get you…"

"What if they don't work? She could paint me a new set of eyes and they might not even function."

Woody was speechless. He was trying to think of the right thing to say when there was a commotion behind him. "Is that Shakes?" Bo asked.

Woody turned. Shakes was kneeling on the floor. She seemed to be hyperventilating. Stańczyk was behind her, his hand on her back. "It's okay, just breathe…"

"What's going on? Shakes are you okay?" She held her paws to her mouth and shook her head, tears forming at the corners of her beady black eyes. "Stańczyk, what's going on?"

"What she said," said Stańczyk. "She said she was going to call…"

" _Sunny,"_ gasped Shakes. _"She's calling Sunny."_


	28. Chapter 28

28:

* * *

It was after 10 pm when Woody was finally certain that Bonnie was asleep. Quietly crawling out of the covers and slipping to the floor, he stole across the floor to the cabinets and climbed up.

Bo was sitting with her sheep and she smiled. "There's my handsome hubby. Come for a late night cuddle?"

"Not exactly," he said, taking a seat beside her. He gave each sheep head an ear massage as he spoke. "I wanted to talk to you about earlier. We didn't really get a chance to continue."

Bo suddenly looked concerned. "How is Shakes doing now?"

"Well Stańczyk finally got her to calm down."

"He is a good friend."

"Yeah…" He turned. "But honestly, I'm worried about you."

"Me?"

"I thought you'd be happy. Mom called Sunshine and she agreed to fix you. Why aren't you more excited?"

"It's like I said before," she answered. "There aren't any guarantees. It could be…simply cosmetic."

Woody sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "You're right." She turned her head in surprise. "There's no guarantee with any surgery. But…" And at this, he placed his arm around her. "That doesn't mean you shouldn't have hope. I have hope." She smiled thinly, placing her head on his chest. "And hey, no matter what happens, I'll always love you."

"I'll always love you too." Playfully she thumbed his nose. "You big softy."

She slept in his arms until dawn when he kissed her cheek and crept back to Bonnie's bed.

* * *

It was three days later in the afternoon when the doorbell rang. Bonnie was coloring at her living room play table. Woody was seated on top, his arms crossed as his torso slackened over his legs. "This is going to be the best portrait of you ever! Well if you have to go the bathroom, you shoulda gone before I started!"

Bonnie's Mom opened the door. A woman in her late twenties entered. She had long wavy blonde hair and large blue eyes. Over her shoulder she carried an equally blond three year old boy. "Hi Julia."

"Sunshine! And J.J.! Look how tall you're getting!" The boy turned and buried his face in his mother's shoulder. "What's the matter, J.J.? Don't you remember me?"

"We should probably arrange a play date sometime," said Sunshine. In the living room, out of sight, Bonnie rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue in disgust.

Back in the entryway Mom turned and picked up a small white box from a nearby table. "Well here she is."

Setting the baby down on the floor, Sunshine took the box. As she removed the lid to take a peek, Bonnie stood up from her table and wandered toward the living room archway.

"Cosmetic damage. Nothing I can't handle. It should take about…"

Suddenly Bonnie shrieked, startling her mother, Sunshine, and Woody. "Bonnie, what? What on earth…"

" _You're Sunny!"_ she almost screamed, pointing at Sunshine.

"Bonnie, what's gotten into you?" Her mother scolded, flabbergasted. "You call her Ms. Miller!"

" _You're Doctor Marcella's daughter!"_ Bonnie continued, ignoring her. _"I've seen you in her videos!"_ Both women stared at her in astonishment as she went on. _"I wanna be a toy fixer too! I watch Doctor Marcella's videos over and over!"_

"You've…seen…" Sunshine said slowly. "My mother's old videos?"

Bonnie nodded eagerly. "She's my hero! Can I meet her please? Please?"

On the table, Woody winced.

Sunshine looked at Bonnie's mother, then back at Bonnie who was staring wide eyed with anticipation. Slowly she made her way toward her and gently rubbed the top of her head. "You're a very sweet little girl," she said. "And my mother would have loved to meet you."

"I would love to meet her too!"

"Bonnie, my mother passed away four years ago. Those videos you've been watching are all very old. I had forgotten they even existed."

Bonnie's face crumbled. Her lip began to tremble as tears sprung to her eyes. "Doctor Marcella is…is…"

Sunshine knelt down. "But if my Mother was here, she'd tell you to never give up on your dream! Someday you can be a great toy fixer just like she was!"

Wiping her eyes on her wrist, Bonnie nodded. "Thank you, Ms. Sunny Miller."

Patting Bonnie's head again, Sunshine stood up. She bent down and picked up J.J. then turned to Bonnie's mother. "I'll have her done in about a week."

 _A WEEK?_ Woody thought alarmed on the playroom table. _You're taking my Bo for a whole week?_

"What do I owe you?"

Sunshine smiled and shifted J.J. to her hip. "Let's just say I've already been paid in full."

As the door shut behind her, Bonnie just stared at the spot where Sunshine had been. "I can't believe Doctor Marcella died."

Bonnie's mother placed her hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry, Bonnie." She sniffled. "Would it make you feel better if I read you a few chapters of _The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe_?"

"Can we lay down on your big bed while we read?"

Her mother picked her up, hugging her to her shoulder. "Absolutely."

As the humans disappeared down the hall and into a bedroom, Woody finally allowed himself to come to life. Standing up, he pulled himself onto the sill and stared outside. "A whole week," he muttered. He sighed deeply. "Good luck, Sweetie. I'll be thinking of you constantly."

There was a noise on the floor below and he turned. His mouth hung open in surprise. "Shakes!"

The Tiger was twisting her paws together mournfully. "I saw her…I saw Sunny. She has a child of her own now."

Woody slipped back onto the table and then climbed to the floor. "I thought…I heard you were going to sneak into Bo's box and go with her."

"I wanted to. I couldn't." She shook her head. "I couldn't leave Stańczyk and…well, at least I got to see her one last time."

Bending down, Woody placed a hand on her shoulder. "I don't think it will be the last time."

"Maybe not," said Shakes. "But she's not mine anymore. And I think I'm finally ready to accept it."


	29. Chapter 29

29:

* * *

The next week seemed to drag on like an eternity for Woody. He tried to distract himself, focus on Bonnie, playtime, and room duties. He even started new biweekly meetings comprised of himself, Dolly, and Shakes, the respective leaders of each of their three clans, so they could compare notes and come up with new ideas together.

It was the next Saturday, a week later, when Woody was sitting with Dolly and Shakes, writing in a sparkly turquoise spiral notebook, that his mind began to wander again. _I hope she's all right. What if the surgery didn't work? Calm down, Woody. It worked. Just keep telling yourself it worked. It's gotta…_

"Hey Cowboy!"

Woody blinked and shook his head. "Huh? What?" Dolly and Shakes were staring at him. "Sorry, what?"

"You zoned out," said Dolly.

"You missed half of what we were just talking about," Shakes added.

Woody looked down at the paper then back up. "How come I'm the glorified secretary?"

Dolly held up her hands as Shakes held up her paws. _"No fingers,"_ they chorused.

"Right."

Dolly sat down next to Woody. "Cheer up, Sheriff. She'll be just fine."

Woody sighed deeply. "I know. I keep telling myself that. So," he held up his pencil. "What were we talking about again?"

"We were brainstorming ways to make our three groups feel like one."

"Right. How about…"

"They're home!" Hamm suddenly yelled. "Someone's coming!"

As the other toys rushed to their spots, Woody found himself frozen in place, staring at the door. A hand clamped down on his shoulder and he jumped. "Buzz!"

"Woody, come on! Don't wanna be caught out of position, do you?" He shook his head numbly and followed the Ranger to the bed.

They climbed to the top and sat on Bonnie's robin's egg blue blanket. As Woody adjusted himself against the pillow, Buzz reached over and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "No matter what happens, you two will be fine."

Woody smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks Buzz."

The door swung open and the two froze. Bonnie skipped in, holding the white box. Humming, she placed it on the bed in front of Woody. He felt his toy heart begin to beat fast as she put her hand on the lid…

" _Bonnie, Grandma's calling from Arizona! Wanna say hi?"_

"Yeah!" Bonnie turned and ran to the door.

As it shut, Woody stood. His phantom heart pounding in his ears, he quickly made his way over to the container. There was tape connecting the lid to the underneath and he slid his finger under it to break the seal.

Opening the lid, the Cowboy could see lots of white tissue paper. He pushed it aside.

He could see a face. It was almost as white as the paper around it.

Two blue eyes stared at him. They were very large and almond shaped.

His voice cracked as he spoke. "Howdy."

The paper rustled. She sat up out of the box. Slowly, she reached out and touched Woody's face. In one of her new eyes, he could see a lone tear beginning to form. "Just as handsome as I remember."

They both wept.


	30. Chapter 30

30: Epilogue

* * *

The last time Woody had sat at Buzz and Jessie's dollhouse kitchen table, he had been determined to go out into the big world and find the last missing piece of his life. Now here he was again, looking at her as she sat next to him.

As he stared at her dreamily, resting his chin on his arms, Bo turned to him. "What?"

"Just looking at my beautiful wife."

She blushed, then smiled mischievously. "And I'm looking at you, looking at your beautiful wife."

Woody grinned and sat up. With a play growl he pulled her almost into his lap.

"Hey!" Jessie appeared behind them. "No hankity pankity at the table! Now then…" She waved a pink plastic teacup in the air. "Looky what I found for ya in Bonnie's stuff, Bo-Bo! It don't match the rest of our set, but it's your favorite color!"

Bo smiled. "It's wonderful."

"Now, who wants what?"

"Black coffee with two sugars," said Buzz.

"I'll have a lightly sweetened herbal tea," said Bo.

Woody smiled at her. "You know something? That sounds pretty good. Two herbal teas please."

"All righty, and the usual Throat Scorcher for me." Jessie passed out cups to everyone and then plopped down next to Buzz. "So, the Four Musketeers. Together again just like we always shoulda been."

"Thirteen years of friendship," added Buzz.

Woody smiled wryly. "You aren't going to start singing are you?"

"Maybe," said Jessie. "Get me a karaoke machine and we'll find out."

"You know what I see?" Bo said as she held Woody's hand. "I see the best friends anyone could ever ask for, all sitting at this table."

"And we see her too." Woody held up his cup. "To Bo, the sweetest, most loving person we know. " She gasped, then blushed happily as they all clinked their cups and toasted. "To Bo, our best friend."

" _To Bo!"_

Suddenly Buzz stood up. "To Woody _and_ Bo," he said. "May your years of happiness together extend past Infinity and Beyond."

"I'll drink to that!" Jessie said cheerfully.

Woody turned to Bo, who had tears in her eyes. "You know something, Guys? I think they just might…"

* * *

Bonnie was snuggled deep under her comforter, smiling peacefully. As she dreamed away, two toys climbed up to her windowsill.

Bo looked out to the night sky where the full moon hung low and bright. "Woody," she giggled. "I see the moon."

The Cowboy wrapped his arms around her waist. _"'I see the moon, and the moon sees me. God bless the moon and…'"_

Before he could finish, Bo had turned and latched her crook around his neck, pulling him to her for a deep kiss that nearly knocked him over.

As she finally unhooked him and rested her face on his shoulder, Bo murmured, "Woody?"

"Hmm?"

"Is this…Happily Ever After?"

"Feels like it," he said. He pulled her closer. "You know what happens after Happily Ever After, don't you?"

"What's that?"

Woody smiled tenderly as he tilted her chin up. "A new beginning."

"Oh Woody…"

He kissed her again, softly this time. _Here's to Happily Ever After's…And to new beginnings…_

* * *

The End


End file.
